Summer Heat's Gonna Drive You Crazy
by casgetoutofmyassbutt
Summary: Dean, Jo, Charlie, Cas, and Gabriel are all on a camping trip to kick start their summer. As Dean starts to reevaluate his feelings for Jo, he runs into Cas, a curious looking blue eyed guy who Dean can't help but be attracted to. Everything changes on the camping trip, mostly in Dean's tent, and Dean has to figure out what he wants to do. Stay with Jo, or experience something new.
1. Women and Booze

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Supernatural. They dutifully belong to Kripke Enterprises and the CW._**

**Chapter 1: Women, Booze, and Good Old Rock n' Roll, Oh and A Curious Blue Eyed Guy**

Dean Winchester opened up a cold beer on the back of the pick up truck holding the ice chests. He brought the glass bottle to his lips before taking the cold liquid in under the heat of the summer sun. This was it. This was the weekend the entire senior class was looking forward to. The camping trip of a lifetime, filled with what Dean loved the most: booze, women, and some good old rock and roll. He had begged his father to let him go as soon as he heard of it upon moving into town, but John was a little skeptical about the whole event. It was Dean's mother who finally convinced John, his father, to let him go.

"I'll see you on Monday, sweetie." Dean's mother, Mary, kissed his forehead and stroked a hand on his cheek. "Stay safe." Dean promised that he would and nodded at his father as a good bye. John sternly nodded back. Lastly Dean said goodbye to his kid brother by ruffling up his hair like he was petting a shaggy dog.

"Dean!" Sam grumbled and tried flattening his hair back down, but it was futile. "Just leave already." Sam crossed his arms and huffed. Dean just ruffled his hair again and leaned in to whisper.

"Want that room all by yourself, eh, Sammy?" He pulled back and winked, then laughed. His brother's face was completely red, as he was shouting 'NO!' Dean just chuckled and said goodbye once more before walking out the door. It was the weekend after graduation and the weekend of a lifetime. Dean couldn't wait until he could trek into the wilderness with his fellow graduates under the summer sun.

So now Dean was leaning against the pick up, taking sips from his beer to make it last longer, but the sun was unbearably hot and beating down on his back that he eventually chugged the beer and threw the bottle into one of the many trash bins that had started forming over the course of an hour. Dean had already set up his tent and threw his stuff inside. He stood outside it for a moment before eyeing a few girls that walked by in bikinis, ready to go sunbathe on the small dock near the camping site. Dean quickly stripped his shirt; he was already wearing his swimming trunks already, and threw it into his tent before chasing after the girls after grabbing another beer from one of the coolers.

"Hey, ladies. Mind if I join?" Dean said, swinging his muscular arms around the two girls' bare shoulders. They smiled and giggled. The three walked over to the dock. The girls laid their towels out, but Dean was all set for the water. He handed his beer off to one of the girls and saluted them before walking back to the end of the dock and using all the force he could muster to jump up and do a backflip into the water. The water splashed up on the girls and they shrieked before giggling some more when Dean surfaced. He ran his hands through his wet hair, spiking it up before swimming to the edge and pulling himself up on the dock. "Sorry, babes." Dean winked as he sat on the edge of the dock and let the sun dry his skin. The girls sighed and accepted the apology since after all it was i _Dean_. /i

"WINCHESTER!" Yelled a girl with blonde wavy hair. Dean sat in the sun for a moment before squinting his eyes over at the girl. Jo Harvelle, the girl that would be the girl of Dean's dreams, but her mother was too terrifying for Dean act on his impulses. "I thought you weren't coming this weekend?" Jo plopped down next to Dean and dropped her feet into the water. She swung her legs in the water creating small ripples. "Though, I am glad you did." Jo nudged Dean with her elbow and smiled.

Dean's lips formed into a smile. He nudged her back before splashing some water up on her. "I practically begged, John. He was skeptical about it from the beginning." Dean rolled his eyes. "Nothing but a bunch of babes, good booze, and good music." Dean leaned back and the girls sunbathing behind him and the one girl handed him his beer back. He held it up to the sun so that the brown bottle shined. He then pulled it to his lips and drank the rest. "That's what I am talking about." Dean set the bottle down and leaned back, his arms holding him up for support.

"My mom was a little worried, but I can take care of myself." Jo flexed her arm and tapped it with her other hand. "Where is your tent set up? I have to set up mine still." Jo pulled her feet from the refreshing water and stood on the dock. Dean looked up at her as she gave him a hand and helped him up from the wooden dock.

"I'm just over there, close to the coolers. Easy access." Dean grinned, the freckles on his face stood out more in the sunlight. He and Jo held hands as he pulled her over to the area his tent was in and they noticed that there was already a tent set up right next to his where Jo's was going to be. "Son of a bitch." Dean cursed. "You can probably tent next to whoever the hell is next to me already." Jo sighed, but agreed. Dean helped her with her bag and tent and they set up two doors down. Once everything was set up, Dean pulled Jo into a neck hug and rubbed her head. "Now if anyone gives you crap, I'm down two." Dean always felt protective of Jo, most likely because her mother told him to watch out for her. He wasn't about to defy Ellen Harvelle.

"Thanks, Dean, but I think I got it. Charlie is tenting up with me, so I will at least have someone else in my tent." Jo pulled her phone from her pocket and checked it quickly before turning it off for the weekend to preserve battery.

"Charlie?" Dean didn't know any guy named Charlie who was in their friend group. He knew of a few Charlie's on the trip, but none that he thought Jo would know.

"Charlie Bradbury." Jo patted Dean on the shoulder. "Don't worry, man. She's a good friend of mine from another school. She didn't have any plans so I invited her."

"She?" Dean nodded. He thought of some not so clean thoughts before giving Jo the 'not bad' face. Jo ended up punching him in the side before bursting out laughing. "I can dig it." Dean chuckled back. He raised his hands in defense. "Hey, guy's got to have dreams."

"Yeah, sure." Jo began to tie her hair back into a ponytail when a girl with bright red hair and equally bright clothing approached her. She tapped Jo on the shoulder and Jo flipped around and shouted with joy. "Charlie!" She hugged Charlie close and then went to introduce her to Dean. "Speak of the devil, this is Charlie Bradbury."

"A.K.A the coolest girl you will ever meet, ever." Charlie smirked and bowed like a knight in front of Dean. Dean returned the gesture with a confused look. When Jo snapped him a mean look, he shook away the weird feeling and said hello. "So where's camp?" Charlie asked.

"Right here." Jo said. Charlie looked devastated. Dean pegged her as a gamer chick, not to keen on the wilderness. Jo helped Charlie with her bags and set up her sleeping bag inside the tent. Dean left them to set up and went back to the dock where people were jumping off into the water and enjoying the beginnings of summer. Dean nodded his head to the music before once of his favorite songs started playing and he couldn't help but air guitar to it. i _Carry on my Wayward son~ /i _Dean was rocking out the air guitar when he accidentally bumped into someone. He stumbled back and apologized. When he saw the guy's face he was a little dumbfounded.

"Sorry, man." Dean apologized again. The guy just stared at him with deep blue eyes before clearing his thoughts and accepting the apology.

"It's fine." He said, looking Dean up and down before blushing. He scurried off down the path.

Dean shrugged it off, knowing he would introduce himself later. Right then wasn't important. What was important was the smell of grilled meat in the air. Dean sniffed the air and the smell led him to the small clearing where there were three or four grills lined up wit burgers and dogs grilling on them. Dean's mouth salivated as he walked closer to the grills.

"Almost done if you want to wait around a little longer." Said the shorter guy at the grill. His hair was long and Dean knew his face from school, but never really talked to the guy. He believed his name was Gabriel. He smiled and nodded at Gabriel, and after a few more minutes, he was handing Dean a plate with a large meaty hamburger on it.

"Thanks, dude." Dean said before taking a large bite out of the burger and moaning at its juicy goodness. A line soon piled up at the grills and Gabriel started handing burgers and dogs out until they were gone and he had to make more, but he saved a plate for himself and another for someone else. Dean watched from the makeshift, log bench he was sitting on. Gabriel went over to another guy and handed the plate to him. When Dean took a closer he realized that it was the same guy he bumped into. Dean threw his finished plate into the trash and proceeded to walk over to Gabriel and his unusual friend.

"Hey, sorry about earlier." Dean apologized for the third time. Gabriel looked up at him in confusion and then looked over to the other guy. Dean held his hand out to introduce himself. "Name's Dean Winchester." Gabriel smiled and then nudged the guy sitting next to him. The dark haired guy set down his plate and looked up at Dean. He grabbed Dean's hand and shook it.

"Castiel Novak." He said back. "It really isn't that big of a deal. I'm fine." Castiel picked his plate back up and took another bite of his hamburger. His sad looking eyes brightened up as he ate.

_Castiel… Castiel… _Dean thought. "You didn't go to school with us, did you?" Dean stood there and swayed on his bare feet. Some people walked by and handed Dean a drink. He sniffed it before taking a sip. "I'd know your face anywhere, pretty distinguishable." Dean saw a blush creep onto Castiel's cheeks.

"This is my brother." Gabriel finally said. "He's visiting for the summer, so I brought him along."

"Brother? You guys don't look anything alike." Dean glanced between the two. He could see small similarities, but couldn't get past how blue Castiel's eyes were and how golden Gabriel's were.

"Half brothers. I have a different mother." Castiel mentioned. He finished his burger before folding his paper plate and searching for a trash bin. Once he spotted one he excused himself and threw his garbage away. "But brothers, regardless." Castiel said, sitting back down on the makeshift bench. He stared up into the trees and let out a content sigh.

"Well, nice to meet you, Cas. I guess I will see you around." Dean nodded his head towards Castiel and then to Gabriel. He took another sip of his drink before saying goodbye for then and left to go watch people do the rope swing into the water.

The sun started to set before anyone realized. Mostly everyone was drunk. Dean was buzzed since he was able to hold his alcohol. He watched shivering people come out of the water dripping. When the sun finally set, people were changed into warmer clothes and setting up for the bon fire. Only the sober people were allowed to work the lighter fluid and set the fire up, that was the rule. They were a bunch of graduates ready to get stupid drunk, but they were at least going to be safe about it. Jo and Charlie found Dean and they picked a seat in the large circle surrounding the fire. They laid a large blanket down and then the three sat on it and watched a few people set up the fire and set it ablaze. The fire instantly warmed them up as they stared at the flames.

"This is the way to kick start summer." Dean announced. He slung his arm over Jo's shoulders and pulled her to his side. "We made it!" Dean yelled out. Cheers rang out around the bon fire and then laughter. Dean raised his beer bottle to toast, but couldn't think of anything to say. He hadn't been at the school for that long, his family moved around a lot, but he still felt like he belonged.

Jo tickled Dean's side. "I made it, not sure about you. I'm pretty sure you just screwed your way to graduation."

"It was only Mrs. Phillips!" Dean drunkenly whined back at Jo. They were silent for a moment before bursting out laughing.

Charlie giggled, but continued to stare at the small screen of her Nintendo DS. Jo nudged her and she finally set her game down and got up. "I'm getting drinks, anyone want anything." Dean chugged the rest of his beer and then asked for Charlie to bring him another one. Jo said she would have whatever. Charlie skipped off to the coolers and grabbed their drinks.

In the mean time, Dean and Jo sat closer to each other. Dean snaked his hand into Jo's and smiled at her. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. There was something untold about their whole situation, but it was a good silence. Dean didn't mind admiring her from afar and Jo did the same with Dean. Everyone told them they would be good together, but they didn't think so. Dean once said that they were better off 'friends with benefits' to which Jo punched him in the gut. Dean rubbed his thumb over the top of Jo's hand. She leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder. It was definitely a good way to start off the summer.

"Hey, got the drinks, bitches." Charlie stumbled in holding a few drinks in her hands: a beer for Dean and some wine coolers for herself and Jo. "Also, found another member for the fellowship." Hooked with her arm was Castiel. His cheeks were rosy and he held a red solo cup in his grasp.

"I don't understand that reference." He said, unhooking himself from Charlie and sitting down on the blanket next to Jo. He grabbed a few drinks from Charlie and handed them over to Dean and Jo. "Dean." He nodded, handing him his beer. "And…" He handed Jo her wine cooler.

"Jo, Jo Harvelle." Jo smiled, thanking Castiel for the drink.

"Castiel Novak." Castiel held a hand out to shake hello.

Jo let go of Dean's hand and took Castiel's, laughing at the formality. "Nice to meet you, Castiel." She shook his hand quickly before opening her drink and taking a sip. When she took the glass bottle away from her lips she pulled Charlie down to the blanket behind her and whispered in her ear. _He's cute. _Charlie shrugged, not really caring much about Castiel's appearance. Dean heard the badly whispered words and thought about it for a second. He thought it was just his intoxicated mind, but Castiel was pretty good looking.

"To Summer!" Dean fist pumped his beer into the air, some of the liquid spilling over the rim of the bottle and trickled down his hand. Castiel raised his cup next and then everyone else joined in.

"TO SUMMER!"


	2. Hello Neighbor Didn't See You There

That night each other drunken graduates made their ways back to their respected tents. Some, though, made it to other tents for other reasons. The last ones around the fire were Dean, Jo and Charlie, and Castiel. Even Gabriel called it quits when it got to be about three in the morning.

"I'll see you guy's in the morning. You'll be okay, Castiel?" Gabriel held his flashlight in his hand. He shined it back on his brother, but Castiel waved him away.

"I am capable of handling myself." He said, crossing his legs into a pretzel shape. He leaned forward and poked the dwindling bon fire with a long stick. The embers light up and a small flame flicked to life. "I will see you in the morning."

"Alright, Night guys." Gabriel walked off after receiving various good nights in return. The glow of his flashlight disappearing once he got past the tree line towards the tents. Once he was gone, the four left sitting around the fire were silent. The crackle of the fire was calming. Charlie laid her head down on Jo's lap and Jo was leaning on Dean's shoulder. Castiel was off on his own, poking at the fire to keep it going, but it was futile.

"You think it's time to head in?" Jo looked up at Dean. The glow of the fire pit shimmered in her brown eyes. She looked back down to Charlie who was asleep on her lap. Jo played with her hair, braiding it and then unbraiding it. "I'm going to have such a hangover tomorrow." Jo said, laughing slightly, then yawning. She pushed Charlie's shoulder a couple times until her eyes fluttered open.

"Wha?" Charlie blinked. "What's going on?"

"We're going to go to bed. The fire's out." Jo helped Charlie to her feet. Dean helped the both of them stand straight. "Thanks, Dean." Jo searched her sweatshirt pocket for her flashlight. Once she found it she flicked it on and lit the way back to their tents. Dean was about to follow them to make sure they got back okay, but Castiel was still sitting by the fire, eerily silent, and Dean was worried.

"You okay, man?" Dean asked. He stood a few feet back away from Castiel, waiting for a response.

" 'M fine." Castiel replied. He perched up on his feet, knees bent. He poked the fire one more before he threw the stick into the pit. "I'll be fine. I'm going to go use the bathroom before I head back to my tent." Castiel groaned, as he stood straight. His knees popped from sitting in the same position for so long. He stretched his back out and then yawned.

"A-alright, man." Dean then chased after Jo and Charlie, looking back only once to see Castiel still standing by the pit of fire, staring into the warm embers. Dean soon caught up with the girls and helped them get to their tent. Charlie stumbled inside, not bothering to change her clothes for sleeping. Jo stood outside her tent for a moment. She popped her hip from side to side in front of Dean and smiled.

"You know, I'm glad I got to know you this year. I'm glad you moved here." Jo poked Dean in the chest and giggled. Dean rolled his eyes at her. He pulled back the tent opening and helped Jo inside. She fell into the tent next to Charlie and blew her messy, blonde hair out of her face. "Really I am."

"Really, you're drunk." Dean smirked. "Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning, bright and early." Jo gave Dean her famous half smile before she fell back onto her sleeping bag. Dean zipped up the tent and wandered over to his own. He glanced at the tent next door to his and wondered who ended up sleeping there. He shined his light on it, expecting to hear someone stir inside, but nothing happened. The tent was either vacant or had an extremely passed out drunk inside. Dean ignored his curiosity and continued onto his own tent, where he crawled inside and stripped from his clothes, sleeping in his boxers for the night.

Dean was woken up by a rustling noise outside of his tent. The sun was barely rising over the horizon when he sat up and looked around his tent. There was a shadow against the one side of his tent and the rustling came from the same side. Dean thought for a moment that it could be his neighbors doing the do, but the rustling was coming from the wrong side. Dean jolted up, thinking maybe an animal was scavenging around the camp. He crawled over to the entrance of his tent and unzipped it slowly. When he saw feet and legs, he sighed and continued to unzip the tent all the way. He looked up and saw that it was Castiel and he was going around with a trash bag and picking up cans and bottles.

"Cas, what are doing up this early?" Dean asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He sat at the entrance of his tent in his boxers and let the cool dawn air chill his bare skin.

Castiel looked down at Dean and fumbled with the trash bag full of cans in his grasp. "I couldn't sleep." He said before leaning down and picking up another can that was in front of Dean's tent. "I won't bother you. You can go back to bed." Castiel then walked off with his trash bag and cleaned up the tent area for everyone.

Dean yawned and saw that the sun was still rising above the horizon, he got at least a few hours of sleep, so he was okay for the day with taking a nap later. Dean rummaged through his duffel bag before pulling a few articles of clothing out and throwing them on. He found his shoes and pulled them onto his feet as well. "Hey, Cas. Let me help." Dean shouted, trying not to be too loud as to wake the others around. He jogged over to Cas and started picking up cans and bottles. He threw them into the trash bag and they continued on in silence like that for a while until others started to wake up and the campsite was clear of any trash.

Dean pulled at the collar of his shirt and did a sniff check to see if he needed to take a shower. His nose wrinkled at his man-smell. "Dude, why didn't you tell me I reeked?" Castiel shrugged, not saying a word. Dean threw the last of the trash bags into the dumpster bins a bit of ways away from the campsite. "I'll catch you later, Cas." Dean waved goodbye before jobbing back to his tent to grab some soap.

Castiel stood there and watched Dean jog away. "It's i _Castiel… /i"_ His eyebrows furrowed with frustration. He never had someone call him Cas before and it was a strange nickname, he liked his name just fine, but when Dean nicknamed him, he couldn't help but feel a little happy about it. He pushed his large trash bag over the rim of the dumpster and wiped his hands on his jeans. As he walked back to the campsite he couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the extremely hung over people walking their way to the bathhouses.

"Hey, Castiel!" Castiel turned at the sound of his name. His brother came running up to him and swung his arm around his shoulder, locking him in. "Having fun yet?" Gabriel asked. He ruffled Castiel's hair until Castiel squirmed free and tried flattening it, but his inevitable sex hair returned.

"Yes."

"How about we sit at the dock today, maybe fish? I'm sure someone has poles." Gabriel asked, but Castiel didn't seem interested. "I know you don't like the water, ever since-" Gabriel paused. Castiel was not amused. "Or we could do nothing?"

"Nothing sounds good." Castiel shrugged away from Gabriel and walked off towards the tents. Gabriel sighed. He strummed his fingers nervously against a tree and watched his brother walk away. He sighed. Their father told him to make Castiel feel welcome since he was going to be living with Gabriel all summer, but Castiel was a hard egg to crack. He didn't like doing much of anything, except watching people, seeing how they interact. If only he could take those examples and use them himself. Life would be so much easier. Gabriel just sighed and walked off to go see what he could make for everyone for breakfast.

Castiel walked up to his tent, which surprisingly was next to Dean's. He hadn't figured that out until that morning when Dean popped out practically naked. Castiel blushed at the thought. He crawled into his tent and rummaged through his things before he found a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt. He stripped from his previous clothes, which were too warm for the day. He pulled his shirt over his head before pulling a new pair of shorts up his legs. He then crawled back out of his tent, only to be faced with a tall guy with a towel wrapped around his waist standing in front of his tent. Castiel quickly looked to the ground. "Hello, Dean."

"Cas? Didn't know you were my neighbor." Dean held his towel up with one hand. His skin was clean and glowing. "Nice to finally meet you, neighbor." Dean laughed and headed back over to his tent. Castiel's face was unbearably red as he took off to get as far away as possible. He soon found his brother at the grills once more, dishing out sausage and eggs to hungry people.

"Your face is red." Gabriel pointed out. "What happened, find Dean Winchester again?"

"Stop." Castiel crossed his arms over his chest. "It's not that."

"Is that so?" A mocking tone was behind Gabriel's question.

"Stop." Castiel said a little deeper and more menacing. "Let it alone."

"Fine, but have you figured out what you want to do today, yet? It's only Friday, we have all day tomorrow and Sunday to do whatever."

"I know."

"Then go find something to do, maybe Dean-"

Castiel rolled his eyes when he walked away from Gabriel. The sun was rising higher in the morning sky. Some people were still sleeping in their tents, but most of everyone had woken up to the smell of breakfast. Castiel looked around the large camping site and picked out the spot where no one was. He wanted the silence. Unfortunately the only place he could find was the fire pit. He dragged his tired legs over to the pit and sat down on one of the makeshift benches. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Tired?" Castiel jolted. He looked up to yet again see Dean Winchester, standing there is all of his glory. He was holding two plates of food. He handed one to Castiel before taking a seat next to him and digging into his scrambled eggs. He swallowed before smiling at Castiel. "Your brother told me to bring you a plate, thought you might be hungry." Dean stabbed his fork into a sausage patty and shoved it into his mouth. "Your brother sure is a good cook."

Castiel sat there in awe. He stared at his plate of food before taking a small bit of his eggs and then setting his plate down. "Where are Jo and Charlie?" He asked. He looked around, but didn't see them in line for food or anything. "Are they still sleeping?"

"I think so." Dean scooped the last of his food into his mouth before throwing his paper plate into the fire pit to be burned later. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his head chin in his hands. "The weather seems like it is going to hold out for us." From the fire pit they could see the dock and the lake. "Those clouds over there, though. I think we might be getting some rain tonight."

"That's unfortunate." Castiel picked his plate back up and ate the rest of his food. He then threw the paper plate into the pit just like Dean did. They sat there in silence for a while before Dean stood up and said he was going to go find Jo and Charlie. "I'll find you later. We can all hang out. I mean, you're going to be around all summer right?"

"Yes." Castiel answered.

"Then you might as well 'join the fellowship' as Charlie would say. Friends make summer worth it." Dean grinned enthusiastically before raising his hand in goodbye and walking off to find Jo and Charlie. Castiel watching him walk off. Dean's muscular back was clearly seen underneath his t-shirt. Castiel gulped nervously. He didn't know if he could be a friend with a person like Dean, especially because of the feeling he got in his chest every time he saw the guy. Castiel sighed and rubbed his forehead. The lack of sleep was finally getting to him, and it was time for a much needed nap.

Dean in fact did find Castiel later that day. The sun heated up everyone and all that soothed the graduates' skins was the lake. Dean, Jo and Charlie all congregated in front of Castiel's tent. They stare at each other before they all smiled and grabbed a side of the tent and shook it.

"Wake up!" "Wakey Wakey!" "Come on Cas!" All three shouted until Cas unzipped the tent and poked his head out. His hair was flipped all over and there were bags under his eyes. "Come on, we're going swimming in the lake. Get your trunks on and come to the dock."

"I don't-" Castiel started to talk, but Dean only unzipped his tent all the way and yanked him by the arm out of the tent. Castiel stumbled to his feet and stood in front of two girls in bikinis, Jo and Charlie, and Dean in his trunks. Castiel blushed. He had seen too much of Dean Winchester shirtless lately. "I'll sit on the dock. I didn't bring anything to swim in." Castiel ran his fingers through his hair to tame it, but it still looked like sex hair. It was relentless.

"Who doesn't bring trunks to a camping trip by the lake?" Dean thought about what he packed. "Wait- I think I have an extra pair. I'll be right back." Castiel tried stopping him and say there was no need, but Jo and Charlie were already hooked to his arms and dragging him towards the dock.

"I will just sit at the dock." Castiel stood at the edge of the dock, not stepping on the wood that was over the water. "I do not wish to go swimming. "

"It's so hot out though. I'm going in." Jo hopped and then ran to the end of the dock before jumping in. Her splash came up on the dock and then she surfaced. " Come on guys!" Charlie followed her and jumped in. Castiel stayed behind.

People were laughing and having fun, drinking and dancing to music. Castiel stood awkwardly. He didn't know any of the people around and that worried him. A few guys walked by, all stupidly drunk already. They picked up their friend and swung him into the lake. Castiel took a step back to avoid any possible outcomes of him going in next, but people shouted, "Him next! Him next" and pointed right at him.

He held his hands up in defense. " No thank you." People were booing him and he was about to walk away, but one of the guys caught him by his shirt and then grabbed his arm, tugging him towards the dock.

Back near the tents, Dean smiled as he heard people laughing and singing along to the blaring music. He leaned down into his tent and searches his bag, finally finding an extra pair of swim trunks. "Got em'" Dean rolled them up.

"Got what?" Dean looked up from his tent and saw Gabriel. "Have you seen my brother?"

Dean stood tall. He towered over Gabriel. "I'm actually taking these over to him so he can swim with us."

Gabriel started laughing. " Swim? Why would Castiel want to go swimming when he can't?" Gabriel looked around. "So where is he?"

Dean was confused. "He's over at the dock with Jo and Charlie. I thought-" Dean suddenly shot a look over at the dock. He could see it just a little ways away from the tents. "Son of a bitch!" Dean jolted off, Gabriel right behind him. They reached the dock with little time to spare.

"3!2!" Two guys had a grip on Castiel, ready to throw him into the water. Gabriel shouted out for his brother, but it was too late. "1!" Castiel was pulled ad throw into the water, clothes and all. Everyone was cheering and laughing.

Dean lunged forward. He threw the extra pair of trunks to the ground and pushed the dumb drinks aside. "He can't swim, you idiots!" Dean dove into the water after Castiel and felt around. He found his friend in the water and raised him to the surface. Castiel sputtered water from his mouth.

"Dean, bring him back up to the dock." Gabriel shouted, holding his arm out to grab for his brother. Dean swam with one arm towards the dock, holding onto Castiel with his other arm. When they got there, Gabriel grabbed Castiel and yanked him out of the water, while Dean raised himself onto the deck. Dean shooed a girl off her towel and wrapped it around Castiel.

"Hey, you're okay. You hear me, Cas? You're okay." Dean rubbed the towel on Castiel, warming him up. Castiel shook slightly and held onto Gabriel. Dean squatted next to him, toweling him off. Everyone around was silent and watching.

"I said I was going to stay on the dock." Castiel spoke. He coughed and then shivered some more. "I said I didn't want to go swimming."

Dean nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry." Dean frowned. He then shot death glares at the people gawking at them. "What the hell do you all want? Get the hell out of here!"

They scattered. Even Jo and Charlie left. They felt guilty. Gabriel continued to hold his brother, rocking him back and forth. Dean rubbed his back, feeling suddenly protective. "You'll be okay."


	3. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

Gabriel sat Castiel down in front of his tent and reached inside to grab Castiel some dry, warm clothes. He found a shirt and some sweats and handed them to Castiel. Castiel nodded as a thank you, but kept quiet. He stood up shakily. Dean stood at a good distance, ready to catch Castiel if he ended up falling or anything. He wasn't sure as to how Castiel felt at the moment. The guy was hard to read.

"I can walk to the bathhouse by myself." Castiel said in a matter of fact tone. He squeezed the soft fabric in his hands before walking off towards the small building. Water still dripped from his wet clothes.

"You think he is going to be alright?" Dean asked Gabriel. "He seems fine." He glared over to a group of people who were standing off in the distance. His fist clenched as they tried to approach. They saw Dean's threat and back away slowly, resuming their drinking and turned the music on loud.

"I think he is more embarrassed than anything." Gabriel picked up the sopping wet towel from the dirty ground and hung it over a tree branch to dry. "He probably wants to leave."

"What? No. He can't." Dean paced back and forth while Gabriel laughed. When Castiel came back with fresh clothes, Dean stopped pacing and walked up to him. "You can't leave." Dean said as he placed his hands on Castiel's shoulders. "This is the weekend of a life time, so let's make the best of it."

"I don't understand." Castiel tilted his head in confusion. He felt Dean's grip on his shoulder tense up and then become soft again. Dean couldn't form the words he needed. Castiel was a cool guy and he just wanted to keep him around. Keep his safe. Gabriel continued to laugh at the scene playing out in front of him.

"He doesn't want you to leave." Gabriel chuckled.

"I see." Castiel and Dean couldn't keep eye contact with each other. Dean let his hands drop to his sides and he took a step back. Castiel stepped back as well. He cleared his throat. "You should probably get Jo and Charlie. They feel bad." Dean broke his train of thought and jumped to the situation. He excused himself and went looking for the girls. Castiel stayed behind with Gabriel and the brothers exchanged glances before Gabriel mocked Castiel about Dean.

"But you are really okay?" Gabriel asked. His big brother mode kicked in. "No flashbacks like before?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Alright." Gabriel pursed his lips together before patting Castiel on the back. "Dad told me to watch out for you, but I guess Dean Winchester has got that covered." Gabriel got in one last mocking remark before Dean walked back over with Jo and Charlie.

"We're so sorry!" Jo launched herself forward and threw her arms around Castiel's neck before squeezing him. "If I had known, I wouldn't even have cheered those jerks on." She pulled back and frowned at Castiel. "You look okay, are you okay?"

"Probs a total trauma victim now." Charlie shrugged. "Sorry bro."

Castiel tried his best to give Jo and Charlie a smile, but his face remained stoic. He looked back and forth between the girls before laying his eyes back on Dean who was talking with his brother. When Dean turned back to Castiel he saw his blue-eyed stare. Castiel mouthed the words 'thank you' to Dean and pulled away from Jo.

An awkward silence resumed and Gabriel was the only one who could fix it. "How about you girls come with me. I'm trying to think of some stuff to make for lunch. We did burgers and dogs yesterday…" Gabriel's words trailed off when he shooed the girls in the right direction and left Castiel and Dean to themselves. Castiel watched his brother walk away with disdain. He turned back to Dean and sighed.

"You might as well know this one thing before you become friends with me." Castiel took in a deep breath.

"Man, you're already my friend. I think that came along with the saving your life."

Castiel dug his feet into the dirt and scuffed them back and forth. "I'm Gay." He said bluntly. He stared at Dean's face, waiting for some sort of reaction, anything. Good or bad, he didn't care. He just wanted Dean to know, so that if anything got awkward, Dean would know why.

"That's cool." Dean shrugged. "I thought my cousin was gay at some point, never stopped me from liking the guy. Friends, family, these things don't end with blood. I'm good if you're good." Dean crossed his arms behind his head and grinned. The skin at the sides of his eyes crinkled. "Still friends?"

"Yes." Castiel felt joy inside, but found it hard to express on his face. "Still friends."

"Good, how about we start drinking? There has been too much drama for a single morning." Dean ruffled Castiel's hair as he walked past him towards the pick up with the ice chests in the back. He grabbed two beers from the watery, ice pit and threw one to Castiel. He caught it clumsily, but still caught it so it counted. "To good booze, good friends, and good women…" Dear cracked open his beer. "And men." He winked at Castiel and continued to chug his beer. Castiel nervously opened his and gulped it down.

It was going to be a long weekend.

Jo Harvelle knew how to handle a grill, and that surprised Gabriel. He tried laying on the moves by teaching her how to grill Catalina Chicken, but she already knew all the moves. "My mom owns a bar, and I like to feed people." Jo flipped the chicken, equally grilling it on both sides. Some flames kicked up and Jo grabbed the beer from Gabriel's hand and dowsed them.

"Nice moves." Gabriel grinned. He checked out the other grills with kabobs on them. He flipped them over with tongs and then called Charlie over. She was sitting on a picnic table playing her DS again. "Hey, Charlie, you're not from around here right?"

Charlie walked up form the table, not looking away from her DS. "Yeah, why?"

"Castiel."

Charlie closed her DS. "He's a bit like Loki."

"Loki?" Came the dual response from Jo and Gabriel.

Charlie sighed. She straightened up and pulled at the bottom of her shirt to flatten out the image. "Avengers? Thor's Brother? No one really likes him. I think it's just that he's misunderstood." She pointed at the pale, dark haired guy in green on her shirt. When she continued to receive confused looks from both Jo and Gabriel she rolled her eyes. "You guys need to keep up with your comic books and movies."

Gabriel laughed. "So you think he will be okay?"

"Dean is looking out for him." Jo said from the other grill. "He does that, he's got a little brother and I guess that big brother feeling rubs off." Jo sighed happily. A smile formed on her face. "Chicken's done!" Jo began to plate the chicken and hungry campers joined the food fest. Jo passed off the grill to another camper and took two plates of food. "I'm going to go find Dean." She said before walking off.

"She likes him, doesn't she?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah. It's obvi." Charlie carried her DS off back to her picnic table without saying another word. Gabriel let out a slight laugh and continued to flip the kabobs so that they wouldn't burn.

Jo found Dean and Castiel sitting by the fire pit again. They started up a small fire for the camping experience, but it wasn't really needed with the summer heat. "Hey, I brought some food." She called out; Dean looked up instantly and smiled as she approached. "But I didn't know what you wanted." Jo handed Dean a plate and the apologized to Castiel. "Your brother has some kabobs and I made the chicken."

"That's okay, I can get my own plate." Castiel stood up, offered his seat to Jo, and then walked off towards the grills. Jo sat down and placed her plate in her lap. She and Dean sat, staring at the fire, eating. When they were done, Jo playfully nudged Dean. "So when are we going to have some one on one time?"

"Whenever." Dean winked at her seductively and then started laughing. "I'm a wanted guy." He said, shoving some chicken into his mouth. "But we have all summer, I think I am going to stick around and work at my Uncle Bobby's mechanic shop. My parents wanted to go to Kansas for the summer, but I convinced them to let me stay."

"That's great!" Jo grinned like a love struck girl. She nudged Dean again before swiping a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm really glad."

Dean cleared his throat. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How do you feel about Cas?"

It wasn't the question Jo was expecting from Dean, but things had there times. "Uh-"

"He's a good guy, right?" Dean suddenly said. Jo leaned back and raised an eyebrow at the Winchester. "Quiet, but still a good guy."

"He's a good addiction to the fellowship, as Charlie would say." Jo smiled, though inside she knew she was losing Dean and that hurt. "He's a good guy." She reassured him and patted him on the back. "Needs to learn how to swim though." They both started laughing and then Dean went silent. His eyes widened and his began to smile. "What?" Jo asked.

"Maybe I could teach him?" Dean was a pretty good swimmer; he could make it his summer goal, and maybe get to know Cas a little better.

"Teach who what?" Castiel walked up, Gabriel and Charlie at his sides. They each had plates filled with food. Gabriel sat next to Jo, Charlie right next to him, but Castiel made his way over to Dean's side. Everyone except Dean noticed. Gabriel snickered, nudging Charlie. Jo didn't seem so pleased.

"Teach you how to swim." Jo said. "Dean has one of those above ground pools in his backyard. He could help you out." Jo saw the look on Castiel's face and then realized it was a bad idea to bring it up. "Or not?"

"I don't have the need to know how to swim." Castiel stared at the plate of food in his lap. "Thank you though, Dean." A blush crept on his cheeks when he said Dean's name. He wished he felt happy that dean offered to help him out with the swimming dilemma, but he just felt helpless. He pushed his food around with a plastic fork.

"It'd be good, Castiel." Gabriel interjected. Charlie nodded and dove into a story of how she didn't learn how to swim until she was ten or so. That made Castiel feel a little bit less helpless, but still wasn't enough to change his mind about Dean teaching him how to swim. He nibbled on his food and stayed silent while the others chatted back and forth. When they were all done, they laughed at each other's puns and what not. Then out of nowhere a water balloon flew threw the air and exploded on the back of Dean's head. He crouched forward and felt the water seep drip down his back.

"Son of a b-bitch!" Dean cussed while laughing. He sat straight up and another water balloon came hurdling towards him. He dodged it and it exploded into the fire pit, extinguishing the flames. Gabriel bolted from the spot, pulling Charlie along with him. Jo shrieked with laughter and headed off to a safe spot. More water balloons flew through the air.

"Come on, Dean! This way!" Jo waved Dean over to the bushes, but Dean grabbed Castiel by the arm and ran with him off towards the trees. Jo rolled her eyes. She ducked behind the brush and avoided oncoming water balloons. Soon someone came to her rescue carrying a bucket full of colorful water balloons. She grabbed a few and commenced battle.

Gabriel and Charlie decided to head back to the tents, knowing they would most likely be safe there. Charlie at least wanted to get her DS back in her bag before she entered the battlefield. Gabriel blocked any access to her so she could get her game to safety. Once everything was set, Charlie reached past her sleeping bag to the back of the tent, she then popped out with two huge super soakers. "I love you." Gabriel grinned wildly.

"I know." Charlie replied, handing him one of the super soakers and then running off towards the lake to fill her gun up.

Dean and Castiel were the only one's left unarmed and sought after by everyone else with balloons and guns. Dean kept a grip on Castiel and took any shot of water or balloon hit to prevent Castiel from having to change again. "Come on!" Dean pulled Castiel towards the tree line. At least some of the trees would block the onslaught. Dean found a thick tree, thicker than the rest, and hid behind it. He pushed Castiel to the tree and placed his hands on either side of Castiel's head. He glanced behind the tree and saw people laughing as they threw balloons at each other. "Shhh." Dean looked back at Castiel and then realized how close he was to the other guy. "Oh, Sorry." Den pushed away from the tree and stood back from blushing Castiel.

" 's fine." Castiel stared at his feet before looking up at Dean with bright blue eyes. "You have welts." Castiel pointed out. He stepped forward and placed his hand on a welt on Dean's chest. He could feel his heartbeat under his fingertips. Dean had taken the hits from the water balloons, causing the welts. "You're okay?"

Dean raised his hand to touch Castiel's. If it were any other guy, Dean would have felt awkward with another guy touching his chest, but Castiel sparked something in him that was out of the ordinary. "I didn't even feel it." He said softly. Castiel's kept his hand on Dean's chest and he trembled slightly when Dean laid his own hand on top. He looked into Dean's emerald eyes and saw conflict. He tried pulling his hand away, but Dean kept it there. Dean raised his other hand and ran it up Castiel's neck, resting it at his cheek. "I'm okay if you're alright, man." Dean smiled. The freckles on his face caught the sunlight as he moved his face closer to Castiel's.

"Dean…" Castiel trembled.

"Shhhh, they'll hear us." Dean pressed his lips against Castiel's softly and hesitantly. He pulled back and saw that Castiel was staring straight at him, seeing everything he could give. Dean let out a nervous laugh before letting go of Castiel and stepping away. The two stared at each other silently.

"That was totes hot." Dean jumped back when he heard Charlie's voice. His face flushed red and Castiel's did as well. "Please continue. You two are officially my OTP." Charlie waved her hand at them. She was unfazed and nonjudgmental. Dean stepped back again, completely flustered.

"I have to go." He then ran, ran as fast as he could away from Castiel. _I can't believe I- I- What was I thinking?_ He found his way back to the tents, breathing heavily. He ran his hands through his hair and grabbed clumps of hair, pulling at his follicles. _I ran away. I left Castiel back there. I'm such an ass._


	4. We Have a Problem

Dean shut himself away in his tent. He unzipped the side flaps just slightly to let some cool, fresh air inside, but not enough for anyone to see him. He grabbed his knees and shook his head. He then ran his hands through his hair. His crushed his eyes shut. He was feeling everything at once. He wanted to go back and finish what he started, but he couldn't get past the fact that he actually kissed another guy, especially a guy that he had just met that weekend.

He flopped back onto his sleeping bag and rubbed his palms into his eyes. He gritted his teeth together and turned on his side. Images of what had happened flashed through his mind. How he initiated it. How he knew what he was doing. How Castiel kissed back.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean growled. He kicked the side of his tent, hoping to hit something harder, but the thin fabric of the tent was the most he could get.

"Dean?" Dean jumped at the sound of Jo's voice. He contemplated opening the tent up for her, but he knew that she would persistently call for him until he answered. He crawled to the entrance of his tent and opened it up. "Dean, why are you inside that hot tent?" Jo stood there in her suit. Her hair was pulled up into a wet ponytail. She held a few water balloons that were left over from the fight.

Dean bit his lip, deciding whether or not to tell Jo. She was his best friend, but sometimes things needed to be left unsaid. "I was taking a nap." He lied.

"Oh." Jo shifted her weight to her other leg. "Can I come in?" She asked, leaning over and setting the few water balloons she had down on the ground in front of Dean's tent. She didn't wait for an answer from Dean. She just pushed past him and crawled into the tent and sat down next to Dean. "So…."

"Jo." Dean turned away from her, but she knew something was up. She stared at him before he felt her stare bearing into the back of his head. "What?"

"I'm your _friend. _You can tell me anything._"_ She said half-heartedly. A nervous smile appeared on her face as she placed her hand onto Dean's and strummed her fingers on the back of his hand. The tent felt hot with both of them inside. "Why do you keep everything to yourself? I know I haven't known you long, but I feel like I know enough about you to know something is bothering you." She rubbed her thumb over Dean's hand.

Dean tried to concentrate at the moment at hand, but his thoughts flitted back to the moment at the tree line, in the heat of a water balloon battle, his lips against Castiel's, everything fitting perfectly. He just couldn't stop thinking about Castiel. "Jo, why don't you reevaluate yourself before you make assumptions about me?" He said harshly and pulled his hand away from underneath Jo's delicate fingers.

"Dean- I-" Jo was taken back by the sudden outburst of anger that Dean showed. She sat back an inch or two before Dean's grabbed her arm roughly.

"I know you're in love with me. Hell, everyone knows that we would be perfect together. Why do we play it off like it's nothing? I'm sick of this shit." Dean pounded his teeth together and his heart pumped rapidly in his chest.

"Fine." Jo grabbed Dean's face, clawing her hand to the back of his head and grabbing a fist full of hair. "Have it your way." She smashed her lips against his in that moment. Dean instantly kissed back, rough but sweet. He pushed Jo down to the sleeping bag and crawled over top of her. Their mouths molded together with sloppy kisses. When they parted they sucked in quick breaths before Dean started to work on Jo's neck, leaving small marks on her skin. She gasped at the feeling of his stubble rubbing on her skin.

Dean grinded against Jo's body. The feeling of being on top of a girl cleared his mind free from Castiel. They kissed passionately and needy. Jo clawed at Dean's back. Her nails clawed into his bare back. Dean pulled at the strings of her swimsuit; they slipped from the knot and fell over her shoulders loosely. Dean ran his hand up her toned stomach and then gripped her breast tenderly.

"Ah, Dean." Jo breathed out. She pushed up against Dean's lean body. When her mouth opened for her to speak, Dean took the chance to travel his wanting tongue inside and explore. Jo moaned into Dean's mouth.

They tossed and turned in the tent and Jo's foot popped out of the tent. She pulled it back inside as to not get noticed by anyone outside, but it was futile. A tap came to the tents surface and then Charlie's voice rang out.

"Hey Dean, are you going to continue what you did with Castiel?" She asked while unzipping Dean's tent and looking inside. "Oh-" Charlie awkwardly stared into the tent and made an 'oops' face. Dean immediately pulled off of Jo, face flushed. Jo popped up, holding her swimsuit top up with one hand and running his other hand through her messy hair. "Awk-ward." Charlie laughed and then took a step back from the tent. "I'll just be over- here." Charlie side stepped away from the tent and then walked off quickly towards Gabriel who was snickering slightly.

Jo turned her back to Dean and lifted her hair while holding up the strings of her bikini top. "Little help, Winchester?" She asked, pulling the strings the right length for Dean to tie them up. He grabbed then and tied a bow. Jo let her hair fall like a blonde curtain on her back. "So what happened with Castiel?" She asked.

Dean's heart stopped. He let his hands rest on Jo's hot skinned back. "Nothing." He said softly before kissing her back and getting up to get out of the tent. He was almost out he exit when Jo grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him back down. He looked at her and grimaced. "Seriously, it's nothing."

"You weren't in here taking a nap." Jo slipped her fingers from Dean's wrist and let her hand fall to her lap.

"No, I wasn't." Dean stared at the floor of the tent. He paused at the exit of the tent before shrugging off Jo's gaze and leaving. He slowly made his way over to the pick-up truck and chugged a beer. He leaned against the metal siding of the truck and rolling his neck. He squinted into the sun and sighed. _ I should go home. This weekend isn't going as planned. _

Dean knew that he should just wait the weekend out since he could probably avoid Castiel if he tried hard enough. He pushed off from the truck side and chucked his beer bottle towards the trash. It hit the edge of the trashcan and bounced off. He growled and wen to pick it up, but Gabriel was already there, picking it up for him and then smiling at him. "Hey."

Dean nodded his head. "Hey, man."

"My brother is looking for you." Gabriel said as he walked over to the pick up and leaned over the edge to dig through the melting cooler. "He seems distraught for a guy who doesn't show much emotion, what'd you do, anyway?" Gabriel pulled out an icy beer and popped the cap off. He took a sip before looking at Dean for an answer.

"Nothing." Dean walked off.

"Sure." Gabriel rolled his eyes, taking another swig from his beer. "Better make it up, Winchester." He pointed over towards the tree line with his beer. Castiel was just in sight, standing there, looking into the thick of the trees. Dean could see him bringing his hand to his lips then letting it fall to his side.

"Fine." Dean grumbled. He rubbed the back of his neck before taking a step. Within a few minutes he was at Castiel's side and silent. Castiel looked up from the ground and his blue eyes bored into Dean. "Cas."

"You can teach me to swim." Castiel suddenly said.

"What?" Dean wasn't expecting anything about swimming to come out of Castiel's mouth. He was expecting something about the kiss.

"When we leave for home, you can teach me."

"Oh- okay." Dean kicked he dirt under his feet. "So we are good?" He asked under his breath. He stood there awkwardly waiting for Castiel to react in some way, but he stayed emotionless. The silence grew as Dean waited for an answer.

"I am good, but I can tell you aren't." Castiel faced away from Dean and ran his fingers over the bark of the tree. "You should go back to Jo." Castiel glanced over towards the tent area, which made Dean look. Jo was standing there talking with Charlie and Gabriel. She looked up and saw Dean and waved while smiling. Dean raised his hand slightly to wave back, but turned his attention back to Castiel.

"So are we going to talk about it?" Dean asked.

"Do you want to?" Castiel questioned back.

Dean bit his lip and thought about it for a moment. He realized then that if he wanted the whole thing to disappear then Castiel would comply. "I-" Dean began. Then he felt a tingle on his lips and didn't think about the last person he kissed, Jo. He thought about Castiel. "Yes." Dean grabbed Castiel's hand swiftly and pulled him off into the trees. He knew of a semi-private beach area that only a few had found over the course of the weekend. "Come on, let's talk."

Castiel allowed Dean to drag him through the trees and they soon disappeared.

Jo watched as Dean walked off with Castiel. Holding hands, as they left no less. "Did anyone else see that?" She questioned Gabriel and Charlie, who just looked at each other. "What? What's going on?"

"I think they're going to have a little chat about some on goings." Gabriel snickered.

"What do you mean?" Jo asked, she watched the tree line to see if Dean and Castiel would come back into sight, but they didn't. "Did they fight?"

"Well, I guess you can say that." Charlie piped up. "With their mouths." Her and Gabriel burst out laughing. Jo had a mortified look on her face. "No joke, brochacho. Looks like you're not the only one who's had a slice of Dean. I saw them a little while ago smashing lips." Jo's eyes were wide and some of her blonde hair fell into her face.

"There is no way." Jo said, still not believing what she was hearing. "Dean and I- We just-" Her mouth was open in awe. "I- Just-"

"Let's just give them some space." Gabriel and Jo hooked their arms over Jo shoulders and led her off to where the alcohol was. She was going to need it.


	5. Friday Night and the Sun is Setting

**Chapter 5: Friday Night and the Sun is Setting**

The hot summer day was cooling to an end. The sun shimmered off of the water and glistened up onto the shore. Dean pulled back a branch and peered out onto the beach to make sure no one else was there and sighed with relief when the beach was empty. He wanted the privacy. There was no sense in revealing everything to everyone. Charlie already saw him and Castiel together and no doubt told Jo, which was something he had to deal with later. And Gabriel, well that guy was in everyone's business and with Castiel being his brother, he most likely knew even before Dean did.

"All clear." Dean held the branch back while Castile climbed over the brush and stepped onto the small beach shore. "So…" Dean blew out the deep breath he had been holding ever since they started walking. "Are you staying all summer? Like until you go to college or something like that?"

Castiel stood at the edge of the lake and let some of the water wash over his sandal shoed feet. A shiver ran through his body and he took a step back. "Yes. Something like that." He answered, looking away from the ripples of water in front of him and looking over at Dean. "Why did you kiss me?" Castiel bluntly questioned. He brought his hand to his face, fingers to his lips.

"I don't know." Dean sighed. He shrugged his shoulders as he stepped onto the small beach next to Castiel. He looked him in the eyes, trying to find any hint of what Castiel was thinking. "I just wanted to, I guess. I shouldn't have kissed you without asking. I mean-" Castiel narrowed his eyes at dean and rose his eyes in confusion. "I mean the girls never seem to mind, but I have never done anything with a guy."

"Never?"

"Never." Dean's eyes brows furrowed with worry. He wasn't sure what was going in his head anymore. He was pretty sure for the most part that he was going to end up with Jo Harvelle, but then Castiel showed up. He had never met the guy in his life, but he could now see that he wanted this blue-eyed guy to stay in his life. "Didn't do too bad, did I?" Dean gave a brilliant smile, his teeth perfect and white.

Castiel let out a breathy laugh. It abruptly stopped when Castiel realized he was laughing at Dean's charm. "Not bad." A light pink blush sprinkled his cheeks. "It was-"

"Awesome. Fantastic. Amazing?" Dean listed off adjective after adjective.

"Nice. It was nice." Dean sneered playfully at Castiel's 'nice' remark. He glanced down Castiel's side and ran his fingers down Castiel's arm, raising goose bumps on his skin. "Dean."

"Yeah, Cas?" Dean's heavy eyelashes tickled his cheeks as he stared as Castiel's hand before twining his fingers with Castiel's. Castiel's squeezed his hand back. When Dean looked into his eyes, Castiel was staring brightly back. "What is it?"

"You can kiss me again."

Dean blinked in surprise and laughed. "R-really, now?" He chuckled, inching his face closed to Castiel's.

"Just don't run away this time." Castiel tilted his head up a little as to connect with Dean. Their lips touched briefly before Dean pulled back, took his hand out of Castiel's and moved it to the his cheek instead. He then dove into the kiss again, this time caressing Castiel gently. Dean sucked on Castiel's lower lip, then preceded to kiss him tenderly. When he pulled away he smiled once again.

"Deal." Dean let his hand fall form Castile's face to his shoulder. He squeezed it tight and then placed both hands on Castiel and rubbed his shoulders loose form the tension that had built up. "See? Not running away." Dean stood back and raised his hand up in defense. "Staying right here." He let his hands fall to his sides and snake their way into his swimming trunks' pockets. Dean let his stiff posture loosen up just like Castiel's shoulders. "Right here." Dean scuffed his feet in the sand. The tiny particles of sand sifted through the cracks of his toes. He watched the sky darken into a sea of black velvet and diamonds.

"You like it here." It wasn't a question of taste. Castiel knew that Dean felt utterly at home by the lakeside. He stood next to Dean and watched the same sky fade to black. "What are you going to say to the others? Jo, Charlie, my brother." Anyone who would either already know, or needed to know as soon as possible.

"About what?" Dean asked, completely oblivious to the problem at hand. It wasn't socially acceptable, especially in a small, hick town such as the one that they lived in. Castiel could freely go back home to his mother while Dean was stuck dealing with the closed minded people who lived around him.

"About what is happening with us." Castiel stared wide-eyed at the moon that was crawling higher into the night sky.

Dean pulled a hand from his packet and patted Castiel on the back. He grinned. "Moment by moment?" He clicked his tongue against his teeth and winked at Castiel before taking his hand away. "We should be getting back. We've been out here for a while." The mix of sand and dirt on the ground crunched beneath Dean's feet as he walked back towards the tree line. Castiel turned away from the water and followed him.

They walked in silence through the trees. The only light leading the way was the small soft glow of the campfire. Dean nearly tripped over a fall over tree in the dark, but Castiel was there to catch him by the arm. Dean stood sturdily. "Thanks, Man." Even through the darkness, Castiel could picture Dean's crooked grin, how the stubble on his chin moved with the skin stretching around his mouth.

"Sure." He said under his breath as he pushed past Dean into the large crowd of people surrounding the campfire. The abruptness of it all made Dean stand back for a moment and watch Castiel walk off. _I've got to do something about that shyness. _Dean smirked then followed after Castiel.

People holding red solo cups and beer bottles surrounded the bon fire. A lot of people were dancing to the loud music blaring out from the sound system that was set up. The coolers from the back of the pick up had been moved closer to the crowd for easier access. Dean searched the crowd of people, having lost Castiel within moments. Someone handed him a cup to which he smelled and cringed at the amount of liquor that it held. He took a deep breath before chugging the drink down and shivering head to toe. He set the cup down on a near by bench. When he looked up he bumped into a short blonde girl. She looked up and her eyes widened.

"Winchester." Jo said. Her breath smelled like what Dean had just drunk. She was holding a cup in her hand. "You-" She poked Dean square in the chest. The contents of her cup sloshed over the edge and dampened his shirt. "Are a liar." She tried her best to make her eyes brows go down in anger, but in her drunken haze, she only started laughing instead.

"Jo, you should go back to your tent and sleep. You're trashed." Dean gently took her cup away from her and set it down next to his own empty cup. "Come on." He grabbed her by the wrist and tried tugging her away from the group of people.

"No!" She pulled back, causing a scene. Several people stared at her and Dean. Dean instantly let go to prevent any confusion about the ordeal. "You are a liar!" She said a bit louder, by this point, most of the people standing around were looking and listening in. "You weren't pissed that we never _did _anything. You were just sexually frustrated and confused!" Jo stomped her feet into the dirt. She pushed at Dean's chest, forcing him back a step. The music that was blaring now seemed minuscule to Dean. He frightfully glanced around at the viewers and gulped.

"Jo, we're going." He said roughly, his jaw clenched. He grabbed Jo's arm rightly and pulled her next to him as they walked off. The music resumed and every started dancing again. Castiel stood outside of the group next to his brother with a worried look on his face.

"I think it's called a home wrecker." Castiel announced over the music.

"What?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow towards his brother. "No way, baby brother." Gabriel placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Those two were never going to make it. Dean's been iffy from the start. Well at least that's what everyone thought when he moved here."

"Moved here?"

"Yeah, he's from…." Gabriel thought for a moment. "Now that I think of it, he's from Kansas. Where your mom is." He let out a laugh. "Small world."

"Big state." Castiel retorted. "I'm going to go. The music is a little loud." Castiel raised his hand in a small goodbye before heading off towards his tent. He would inevitably meet up with Dean again with their tents being right next to each other's. Maybe then he could get some answers out of the guy. Dean had been acting sly and letting on that maybe something could come from what he and Castiel seemed to have. The waiting feeling was driving Castiel insane, though he would never show it.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dean yelled as he let go of Jo. She stood back and glared at Dean.

"You we're pissed that _we-_ "Jo pointed from herself to Dean. "-never _did _anything. You were just frustrated because you realized you were batting for the other team!" Jo threw her hands down to her sides. She balled hem into fists and huffed. "Dean, I just don't understand. Why would we-? Why didn't you tell me you were-?" Every nerve in her body shook with anger and was tinged with overwhelming sadness. "Dean…." Her eyes shined up, tears forming at the rims. "I d-don't understand."

"I'm not…" He found it hard to say. "gay. I'm not-"

"Than why? You and Castiel-" Tears were now freely falling from Jo's eyes. They ran down her cheeks in rivulets. "Charlie said she saw you and Cas kissing, just before what happened between you an me. What gives, Winchester?" Jo stepped forward, fists drawn. She punched Dean straight in the chest and continually hit him over and over.

Dean led her on. He knew what he did was wrong. He led people on, that's what he did best. He knew no other way to deal with emotions and people. It was a Winchester family trait. "Jo, I can't explain it. All I can say is that I'm sorry, alright?" Dean grabbed her wrists and held her still. "Sorry for making you feel this way. You're my best friend here, and I ruined that." Slowly, Dean let go of Jo's hands and let them fall back down to her sides. Her shoulders shook as sobs ran through her body.

"D-Dean, just tell me why, please."

Dean frowned. "It's like something in me finally clicked, that's all. Cas- he must have been the switch." He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "Jo-" Dean felt like the biggest ass in the world. He knew he could be heartless at times due to everything that happened in his life, but he never thought he would see one of the most important women in his life, crying before him. "I'm sorry."

"I need to go." Jo said abruptly, before pushing past Dean, sniffling. Dean stepped aside and watched her walk off back towards the crowd of campers. She disappeared within the mass and Dean was left standing just past where the campfire light touched. He let out a long sigh, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his freckled nose. Before long, he decided to give up for the night and just sleep. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and never took that nap he planned on taking. He slowly made his way down the dirt path towards the three tents lined up one after another. He heard faint video game noises coming from Jo and Charlie's tent. He thought about stopping by and letting Charlie know what happened, but he figured that just make Jo even more upset with him. So he continued past their tent and glanced at Castiel's to see if he was in, since he hadn't seen him since he went missing in the bon fire crowd. Thankfully there was a dim glow lighting up the tent.

Dean tapped lightly on the tent surface. The flap at the front of the tent started to unzip. Castiel poked his head out and looked up, blue eyes shining even in the darkness. "Dean?" His eyes were curious.

"Can I come in?" Dean asked, kneeling down in front of Castiel's tent.

"Dean, you have your own tent. I-"

"I know." Dean was persistent. He pleaded with his moss green eyes. Castiel gave in and opened the tent all the way. Dean crawled his way inside and sprawled flat out on top of Castiel's sleeping bag. "Thanks, Cas." Dean said, pushing his face into Castiel's pillow and taking in a deep breath.

"Dean, what are you-" Castiel closed the tent back up and pulled his small electric lantern between himself and Dean. Dean rolled to his side and stared at Castiel with reddening eyes. "Jo." Dean nodded when Castiel said her name. Dean rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. He sighed deeply before turning his attention back to Castiel. The young Novak settled down next to Dean and evened out his own nervous breathing. He stared at the ceiling of the tent and closed his eyes.

Dean watched the muscles in Castiel's face relax. He couldn't help but bring a hand up to Castiel's face and trace his jawline with his fingers. Castiel's jolted a little, but calmed down after looking right at Dean. He turned on his side, facing his male companion. "We have nothing in common." He said softly, frowning at Dean.

"How do you know that?" Dean asked in defense. His fingers tickled Castiel's cheek and traveled down to his lips. Dean bit his own lips. "We might. Why not try to get to know each other?" Dean pulled his fingers away and replaced them with his lips. Castiel melted into the kiss. Soon Dean was climbing over top of him and removing his shirt. He kissed Castiel like it was the last time he would ever kiss someone again. He smiled into each peck, each nibble on flesh.

Castiel snaked his arms around Dean's neck and pulled him even closer. Their bodies were puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. Something Dean never felt before. They parted, breathing for a moment to catch their breath. Castiel gasped when Dean rocked his body against his. When he opened his mouth in a small moan, Dean slipped his tongue inside and investigated the caverns of Castiel's mouth. Castiel fought back in a dominance war, but was over powered by Dean.

Soon the two were breathing harshly, their chests rising and falling quickly. Dean needed to stop. He knew he wanted more, but wasn't sure if he could handle it. He rolled over onto his back next to Castiel and tried evening out his breathing and stopping himself from getting any harder than he was. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, thinking of something else to calm his erection, but it was battling back full force. Castiel sat up. His hair was tossed on his head and his cheeks flushed. He looked down at Dean and his cheeks grew a darker shade of red. He quickly looked away, slightly embarrassed that they had gotten to that point. He heard Dean breath deeply in and out, but to no avail.

"Dean… I could help." Castiel said with a nervous tone. Dean's eyes shot open and he stared in disbelief at Castiel. He bit his lip, but gave in because nothing was calming him down. Castiel nodded and made his way over to Dean and settled himself between Dean's legs. Dean's swim trunk covered crotch was painfully bulging. Castiel ran his hand over the fabric. Dean bucked his hips forward and moaned. Castiel grabbed the elastic waistband and pulled it down to Dean's knees. He blushed at Dean's erect length. He paused for a moment before lowering his head down and taking Dean into his mouth. He worked tongue over Dean's tip, licking up the pre-cum that had started to leak out. Castiel pushed down on the tender area above Dean's cock with the palm of his hand. That made Dean crazy.

"Oh, god. Cas-" Dean breathed out. Castiel bobbed his head on Dean's manhood. His other hand palmed Dean's sack. He rolled his fingers over each perfect orb. Dean shivered. "Cas- I'm gonna-" The blood rushed to Castiel's cheek as he licked up Dean's shaft and pulled back. He replaced his mouth with his hand and worked Dean in his palm. Dean could feel the warm feeling pooling in his groin before he came. Castiel's hand was covered in Dean's cum, warm and sticky. Dean's breathing was rough and his body was flushed. "Well that was- that was-"

"Something that we both enjoyed." Castiel said matter-of-factly. He raised his liquid covered hand and licked his fingers clean. Dean gaped, wide eyed at Castiel. When Castiel returned the look, Dean started laughing.

"I guess that's one thing we have in common." He chuckled and sat up. He pulled his trunks back on and leaned forward to placed a kiss on Castiel's lips. The kiss was slow, but full of desire. When Dean pulled back he saw the blush on Castiel's cheeks and smiled. "See, it just takes some time." He smiled and rubbed his thumb over Castiel's red cheek. "And we have all summer." They both smiled and lay down next to each other in the small tent. Dean pulled Castiel's close and held him there for the night.

It was the best sleep he had ever gotten in his life.


	6. You are a Sin, Always have been

**Chapter 6: You are a Sin, Always have been, Always will be**

Although he was in the arms of Dean Winchester, his new love, and his new everything, Castiel still had a hard time sleeping. He wiggled against Dean before finding a comfortable spot and closing his eyes. The salty taste in his mouth made him smile internally. It was quite a night, but it wasn't enough to keep his mind away from the haunting memories.

_"You are a sin. Always have been, always will be." _Castiel heard the words reverberate in his head over and over. He cringed when they got louder and louder. The heat on his back from Dean burned of that sin. Castiel wiggled once more, and Dean accommodated to the new position instinctively. _What did I do wrong to have you be this way?" _Castiel shook his head. Nothing wrong. He did nothing wrong. _"Get out of my sight." _

Castiel's eyes shot open and he jolted upright. Dean continued to sleep while Castiel took in deep breaths. Soon his breathing became harder and harder like he was drowning. He grabbed his chest and counted his heartbeats. One, two, three, four…

He was soon able to calm himself down and lied back down next to Dean. He pushed himself close to the other man and Dean arms snaked around him once more. It was safe there in that little tent. There was no judgment in a place like that. Not like at home, with his brothers and father. Castiel closed his eyes once more and tried keeping his mind away from anything that wasn't the here and now. Dean's warmth calmed him and lulled him to sleep.

The heat in the tent was the only thing that managed to get the two boys to wake up. Dean sat up, his hair spiked out in all directions. Sweat glistened off his chest as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He scratched his crotch before waking up entirely and looking down at Castiel who was sweating through his shirt. "Hey, Cas." Dean poked the dark haired boy in the side and watched him squirm and then finally wake up.

" 'd morning." Castiel grumbled, curling into a tight ball and pushing his face into his pillow. Dean leaned over him and grabbed his shirt that had been tossed to the one side of the tent the night before.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Dean pulled the fabric over his head and slid his arms through the holes. "Be right back." He unzipped the tent and crawled out into the sun. He groaned when the light hit his eyes. The sun was pretty high into the sky already and people were already up and about which meant that they had slept in quite a bit. He quickly made a detour to his own tent to grab the essentials. He then went on to walk towards the bathhouse. When he looked over to see if Charlie and Jo were up, he saw that the tent was nowhere to be found. He looked around frantically and saw Charlie sitting off at a picnic table with her DS in her hands. Dean jogged over to her. "What happened to Jo's tent?" He asked.

Charlie looked up from her game, hitting pause, and sighed. "Jo left this morning. I'm going to stay though. Gabriel said I could tent with him." She half smiled and returned to her game.

"Dammit." Dean said under his breath. He bit his lower lip. "Tenting with Gabriel? Don't you just want a tent to yourself? Unless you two are-?" Dean assumed, but Charlie laughed in reply.

"Dean, Gabe and I. No." She set her game down and explained. See this." She held up her index finger with one hand and then her other hand formed and "O" shape. She proceeded to make the sex gesture. "No Bueno. I'm more into the damsels in distress if you catch my drift." She winked when Dean's jaw dropped. He had his thought about her, but was never sure.

"I guess Gabriel's tent is fine then." He laughed. "So Jo left..." Dean's eyebrows lowered. "Basically all my fault."

"She'll get over it. Girls always do." Charlie reassured him. "Don't worry about it too much. I'll talk to her when I get back home. I'll call her or something." Charlie shrugged and picked up her game again. With that Dean excused himself and headed back off to the bathhouse, carrying his clothes and shower stuff with him. Once Dean stepped inside the showering area he heard several other people in other stalls taking showers. He picked an empty one and set his stuff down before closing the curtain. He turned the shower handle and cold water spilled out of the showerhead. He frowned and waited a few minutes for the water to heat up, but it never did. Reluctantly, Dean hopped into the shower, soaped up fast, rinsed off, and hopped out. He shivered as he grabbed his towel to dry off.

Once he was dressed, Dean ventured back to his tent to drop his things off and then he sniffed the air. Gabriel must have been making burgers again for lunch, and they smelled fantastic. Dean meant to stop by Castiel's tent before he went to eat, but the thought of food made him drool. The line was relatively short and when Dean finally made it up to the front, he received a smile from Gabriel and two plates of food.

"Go wake him up. He loves burgers." Gabriel grinned. He said it as if he knew that Dean had woken up along side Castiel. Which was right, but how Gabriel knew, Dean would never quite understand. It must have been a weird Novak thing. He just nodded, took the plates, and quietly walked back to Castiel's tent. He unzipped the front and carefully crawled inside carrying the plates of food.

"I got us something to eat." Dean plopped down, pushing Castiel's side with his feet. Castiel grumbled, digging deeper into his sleeping bag. Dean set the plates of food down just outside the tent out of the way and grabbed Castiel's by his sides. "Burgers." He wiggled his fingers, tickling Castiel. Castiel squirmed and eventually sat straight up and as far away from Dean as he could in the small tent.

Castiel's eyes were blood shot, most likely from the lack of sleep, and his skin was slick with sweat. He yawned heavily and rubbed his tired eyes. He reached out at Dean wanting the plate of food. Dean laughed and grabbed the plates, taking them back into the tent again and handing one to Castiel. "Thank you."

"No problem, sleepy head." Dean placed his own Styrofoam plate in his lap and picked up his burger. They ate in silence. Dean finished first. His green eyes traveled Castiel's body. "You should probably take a shower too, you're all sweaty. I'll warn you though, the water is freezing."

"I should." Castiel set his empty plate down and plucked at his shirt. He felt pretty gross and a cold shower actually sounded good. "Thanks for the food." He said before getting ready to crawl out of the tent with a few things for showering. Dean grabbed his hand quickly. "Dean?"

"You seem off." Dean exclaimed. He dropped Castiel's hand and pursed his lips. "Did you sleep okay? I was pretty much knocked unconscious all night. What about you?"

Castiel shrugged. "Not bad." He lied. "I'm not a morning person." With that Castiel exited the tent to go shower. Dean gathered the plates and left the tent as well to throw them out. He stood up and watched Castiel walk off, his footsteps a little dragged. Dean frowned and dumped the plates into the trash.

Dean lost track of what time it was. He sat at the dock for a long time. People jammed music and danced at the water's edge. Some girls were floating on rafts on the lake and other people were swimming. Saturday was basically a recuperation day. Everyone had been partying Thursday and Friday, and the weekend camping trip still wasn't over. There was still Sunday and part of Monday left. Dean thought about leaving early for home, but the summer sun was too good. He never wanted to leave. Plus, Castiel was living at Gabriel's house, which was on the other side of town, and there was no way Dean's father would give him the impala for the summer while the rest of the family went off to Kansas. Dean wanted to spend as much time with Castiel as he could, before he started working and had no transportation to get to him.

After a while, the sun started to get covered up by clouds rolling into the sky. At first they were wisps of condensation, then they got bigger and meaner looking. The wind picked up and most of everyone got out of the lake and headed back to covered areas, putting on more clothing as the temperature dropped. Dean listened to the waves splashing on shore. The sky above him rumbled and soon droplets of rain fell. He felt two or three on his skin, then several more. Before it started to down pour, Dean left the dock and looked around for Castiel. He hadn't seen him for a couple hours. He thought that Castiel just needed some space, what with Dean sleeping in his tent and all the night before. When he ran back to the tents he saw that Castiel's tent was dismantled and gone. His eyes widened in fright that he scared away yet another person. "Cas?" He yelled out gruffly, the rain pelted down on his clean shirt.

A rustle came from Dean's tent and out of nowhere, Castiel popped his head out of the flap. "Dean?" He questioned back. His brows furrowed in confusion as to why Dean looked so frantic. Then he glanced at the lack of his tent, silently "oh'd" and looked up at Dean. "There was no need for my tent when you clearly have a bigger one that accommodates us both." Castiel disappeared back into the tent without another word. Dean let out a laugh before crawling in after Castiel and shaking out his wet hair.

"A little soon, don't you think? Are we really ready to take that step, living together?" Dean joked. Castiel's expression was grave. He eyed his belongings and Dean could have sworn that Castiel would have left and pitched his tent again if Dean really disliked having him there so much. "Kidding." Castiel's shoulder visibly relaxed. He breathed out evenly and stared at Dean with wide blue eyes. Dean scoffed, raising a hand and running his fingers down the side of Castiel's face and onto his neck. "You look better." He said, eyes traveling to Castiel's lips.

"I feel better." Castiel craned his neck so Dean could touch more of him. They were mere inches away from each other at that point. Castiel gazed deeply into Dean's emerald eyes. Dean leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on Castiel's lips, then his chin, moving down to his neck. Some of the raindrops on Dean's face touched Castiel's skin and made him shiver.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Dean said against Castiel's skin. He pressed his lips on Castiel's collarbone. He snaked his hands up Castiel's shirt and strummed his fingers on toned muscle. His hands made their way up further and he groped Castiel like he would a girl, which is why Castiel pulled Dean's hands away. Dean pulled back and raised his hands. "What? Something wrong?"

"I'm not a girl." Castiel huffed. His face was actually expressing hints of anger. "Don't treat me like one." Castiel pulled at the hem of his shirt, flattening out the wrinkles that Dean created. He reached out and grabbed Dean's hands. "I'm not particularly sensitive when it comes to my chest." He stated, pulling Dean's hands towards his shorts. "I am a guy."

Dean gulped. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "Oh yeah." He nervously chuckled. His hands rubbed together as he looked Castiel up and down. Castiel was leaning back on his hands, his head was lowered and heavy lids shadowed his blue eyes. "Cas, last night was the first time I had ever been with, well, a guy." Dean's hands were jittery. He tried shaking them out, but his nerves wouldn't settle. "So this is a little weird." He tired smiling, but it came out awkward and forced.

"Okay."

"Huh?" Dean sat back.

"I said 'okay'. It's okay. I believe I understand." Dean just couldn't understand how someone could be so calm all the time. Castiel wasn't like anyone he had ever met before. He _knew_ Dean wasn't quite ready. He just knew. Dean groaned and flopped down onto his sleeping bag. The rain outside pattered down on the tent in a constant rhythm.

"Cas."

"Yes, Dean." Castiel said, lying down next to Dean, turning on his side and stared at the older Winchester.

"You're something else." Dean explained. He cross his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling of the tent.

"Is that a compliment?"

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, Cas. Yeah it is."


	7. Forget What Other People Say About Me

**Chapter 7: Forget What Other People Say About Me, It's Shit**

The rain had a hard time letting up for most of the after noon. It had grown dark before it calmed down outside. Dean and Castiel lied about inside of Dean's tent while munching on some of the snacks that Dean's mother had packed. Dean shoved another handful of Pringles into his mouth then capped the can and shoved it back into his bag. He licked the extra salt off his fingers and smiled. "So Cas, when do you think this rain will stop?" Dean asked as the rain lightly pitter-pattered onto the top of the tent.

"Soon, maybe. It's cold, though." Castiel reached over Dean, his large shirt sagging a small bit off his shoulder. He grabbed a sweatshirt from his duffle bag. Dean could see a little mark on Castiel's collarbone, from when he kissed his skin roughly. Castiel managed the sweatshirt over his head and pulled it down to cover himself. He buried his face into his sleeve-covered hands. It was quite cold inside the tent, which was opposite from what it was earlier that day.

Dean pulled an extra blanket he was keeping out from underneath him and tossed it around Castiel's shoulders. "Better?" He grinned and folded the ends of the blanket.

Castiel nodded. He pulled the blanket tightly around himself and warmed up. Though when he looked at Dean, he felt guilty for hogging all the heat. So he opened he blanket back up and gave Dean a welcoming look. "You have goose bumps."

Dean looked down at his arms. Small bumps rose on his chilled skin. "I do." Dean rubbed his arms to create some friction, thus heat, but he knew that the blanket was the way to go about getting warm. He scooted over to Castiel and grabbed an end of the blanket. They sat there, shoulder to shoulder with the blanket covering them. "I would kill for some hot chocolate right about now."

"My brother might have some, if you want to brave outside?" Castiel rummaged his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a small cell phone. "I'll call him." Just as Castiel was going to call Gabriel's phone, Dean grabbed his phone and snapped it shut, ending the call. "Dean?"

"Just you and me." Dean said. He ignored his want for hot chocolate if it meant that another person would join him and Castiel. "I want just you and me." Dean placed Castiel's phone on top of his duffle bag and then faced Castiel. His eyes were a dark green. He finally knew what he could do; well at least start with and maybe things would just, well, happen. "Okay?" Dean's mouth twitched as he moved closer to Castiel. His hands rested on Castiel's lap, fumbling with the fabric. He curled his fingers under the elastic waistband.

"Okay." Castiel glanced down at Dean's nervous hands. He placed his own on top of Dean's and then looked his straight in the eyes. "At whatever pace." He let Dean's hands travel into his shorts, underneath his briefs. His own hands propped himself up so that Dean could pull the fabric away in one move. Dean swallowed the hard lump in his throat when Castiel was bare for him to see. At that moment, Castiel was flaccid, his limp cock lying on his thigh. Dean cautiously moved towards Castiel, but his hands were shaking horribly. Castiel ended up grabbing Dean and pulling him close. With his arms wrapped around Dean's neck, he kissed him, calming him down. "I said 'okay'." Castiel repeated.

"Alright." Dean kissed back, his hands this time had no trouble finding their way to Castiel's cock. Once skin touched skin, Castiel stiffened up. At first just a little stiffness raised his cock in the air. Once Dean had a firm hold and started to move, Castiel was at full go. "Oh man." Dean breathed, rubbing his hand up and down Castiel's length. He could feel himself becoming hard, which was entirely new and a bit weird to him since he was jacking off another guy, and not with some girl. It looked like all the same rules and principles applied. "Thank God." Dean nipped At Castiel's neck while he jacked Castiel off in his hand.

"I don't think God has anything to do with it." Castiel said disdainfully. His hands fumbled between himself and Dean's shorts. He searched for the zipper when he felt the fabric getting tighter around Dean's crotch. Soon Dean was free and bulging upward. Castiel curled his fingers around Dean and rubbed him.

"Shit." Dean sat up on his knees and let his shorts fall down to his knees. He shifted to rid himself of the fabric. Castiel took his hand away for a moment to help in the ordeal. Once Dean's shorts were off and thrown over with Castiel's he quickly pulled his shirt over his head and then pulled at Castiel's. His chest rose and fell quickly. He rested on his knees before Castiel in all of his naked glory. Castiel lied back on top of the blanket that Dean had given him earlier before. His slim frame was covered in goose bumps. "Are you cold?" Dean asked. It was a silly question, but Castiel still answered, shaking his head no, obviously lying.

Dean smiled sweetly and leaned over Castiel. He ran his thumb over Castiel's square jaw and left a line of kisses. His other hand continued its work on Castiel's cock. This time, he grabbed onto his own as well and rubbed the two lengths together. Dean and Castiel's skin rubbed together, sweat gliding them along each other smoothly. Castiel moaned as his cock dripped with pre cum into Dean's hand and onto his cock. "Shit." Dean cursed. His hand worked faster and faster. Each movement brought him closer to the edge. "Cas…. Are you going to-?" He asked between hitched breaths. Castiel's flushed red face quickly nodded as a yes. He grabbed Dean's upper arms tightly and froze as Dean rubbed himself and Castiel one last time before they both shuddered and came. Cum splattered all over Dean's hand and chest as well as Castiel's abdomen.

Dean collapsed next to Castiel. He grabbed his discarded shirt and wiped his chest off as well as his hand. He tuned his head and smiled at Castiel. "Here, wipe yourself down with this." Dean held his shirt up and Castiel quickly grabbed it and wiped himself off. "That was something." Dean said, trying to lighten to mood inside the tent. It had grown awkwardly silent in the tent, and unbearably humid. Outside it was still raining; only it had lightened up and was just sprinkling. The wind had died down as well, which was good for the tent since there was no more fear of it lifting off the ground.

Castiel sat up and reached around the tent, finally finding his clothing and pulled them on. "You're good at everything, aren't you?" He blushed, eyes staring at his own lap. "I've heard stories from my brother about you." Castiel rubbed his hands together. "How you go from one to the next." The mood in the tent deepened. "I don't-"

"Hey." Dean sat up and placed a hand on Castiel's back. "Really, I'm not like that." He lifted Castiel's chin, staring him in the eyes. "Alright? I don't think I will be going anywhere for a while. You're unique. This is unique. Who the hell would give that up?" Dean pulled his hand away from Castiel's face. "When I said I wasn't going to run away, I wasn't lying." His face was hard. "So forget what other people say about me, it's shit." Dean grinned. "And if anyone says anything, tell me." He lifted one arm, flexing, and grabbed his muscle with his other hand. "I'll teach them a lessen."

"Don't get sent to jail on my account, Dean." Castiel's mouth twitched into a small smile, but it soon disappeared back into his normal relaxed face. "Also, you should get some clothes on before the cold gets to you." Castiel turned his head, left and right, looking for Dean's discarded shorts. When he saw them in the corner of the tent he leaned over and picked them up. He then felt a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and pulling him back.

"Or you could just keep me warm." Dean said smoothly as he kissed Castiel's neck. Castiel wiggled free and shoved the shorts at Dean. "What?" Dean pulled on his boxers before pulling his shorts on over them.

"I'm hungry."

Dean thought about it for a second and he too was hungry. He hadn't eaten since earlier that day when they had burgers. That was hours ago. "Me too, but I think they already cleaned up dinner." Then Dean got a brilliant idea. On the way to the campground he could have sworn he saw a diner that wasn't too far off. The only problem was that he didn't have a car to get there. "Did you drive here, Cas?" Dean questioned, hoping Castiel had some sort of transportation. "There's a diner down the road and I think they have pie.

"No, but Gabriel drove." Castiel was already putting his shoes on and searching for his wallet in his bag. "We can see if Gabriel and Charlie want to join us?"

"Sounds like a plan." Dean grabbed a new shirt and sweatshirt, searched for his shoes and wallet then headed out of his tent with Castiel to go grab Gabriel and Charlie. "They better have some pie left." It was a little after normal dining hours, which made the chance of pie slim, but Dean still hoped.


	8. Things Just Went Wrong

Dean and Castiel avoided the crazy amount of puddles on the ground. Cas stepped widely over one while Dean followed. A droplet of rain fell from the tree above them and landed on Castiel's cheek. He froze and looked up. The water on his face startled him, but after a few quick, deep breaths he continued on towards his brother's tent.

"What was that?" Dean asked, looking forward at Castiel. "See something?" He asked, stepping over another large puddle. His foot barely missing it and some water went into his shoe. "Shit." Dean cursed, shaking his foot to expel some of the water.

"Nothing, just some rain." Castiel shook the feeling off and stepped into the small clearing filled with five more tents. There wasn't a designated tenting area, people sort of set up wherever for the weekend. Castiel looked at each tent and pointed out his brothers; the one where video game noises were coming from. "Over there."

"Sounds like it." Dean chuckled. They walked up to the tent and tapped on the entrance. "Hey Gabe! Charlie!" Dean yelled. The video game was paused and the tent started to unzip. Charlie popped her head out. She smiled.

"Hey. OTP! What's up?" She fully unzipped the tent and showed the inside of the tent. Cans of Mountain Dew and Doritos were scattered across sleeping bags and a small TV set up to a little generator. How Charlie even brought all of those things with her in a small bag, Dean would forever be wondering.

"Gabriel." Castiel called into the tent. His brother leaned over, controller in his hand. He gave a questioning look. "Do you want to go to the diner that's down the road? You have the car and, well-"

"You an Dean were busy during dinner and are hungry, aren't you?" Gabriel laughed. He twisted around and dug through his backpack. "Well, let me grab my keys and let's get going. It's a little drive to the diner." Gabriel bolted up and got out of the tent. "Come on, Queen Charlie." He outstretched an arm for Charlie She quickly turned the little TV off and then grabbed his hand and he lifted her out of the tent. They closed the tent behind them and stood in a circle.

"Queen?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "What's with that?"

"I'm the Queen, got a problem with that squire? Or maybe you can be my hand maiden." Charlie flipped her bright red hair over her shoulder and brushed off Dean's judging look. "So Diner?"

"Yes. Dean want's pie." Castiel suddenly said.

"Well the man wants pie." Gabriel flipped his keys in his hand and showed them the way to his car. They piled into the small crossover and were quickly on their way to the diner down the road.

"I'll have a bacon cheeseburger and fries, some Pepsi and a slice of that apple pie over there." Dean pointed to the display case where the last slice of pie was at and smiled. "Thanks, sweetheart." He winked at her like he would any other waitress and she smiled back. Dean wasn't a bad looking guy. He was actually really attractive. Like unreasonably attractive. The waitress moved onto take the other's orders and ended with Castiel. He simple order a grilled cheese with tomato soup. He was quieter then usual which made Dean uncomfortable. He placed a hand on Castiel's leg underneath the table and quietly looked at him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Dean." Castiel moved his leg away.

"Oh come on." Dean realized what happened to make Castiel act the way he was. "I have no interest in that girl." He said under his breath. Charlie snickered from across the table. She gave Gabriel a smirk and they started laughing. Their drinks came out first and Dean and Castiel quickly grabbed their, chugging them down to ignore Charlie and Gabriel.

"So I take you two-" Gabriel lifted two fingers and pointed at them both at once.

"NO!" "Yes." Said Dean and Castiel in unison. Dean was trying his best to deny anything Gabriel and Charlie could turn into something more while Castiel was as true as the night was dark.

"Which is it boys?" Charlie sipped on her lemonade and eyed the two. She looked from Dean to Cas and back to Dean. "Can't hide anything now." Before Dean was going to give in, the waitress came by and placed plates of food onto the table in front of the four.

"Thanks." Dean said, picking up his big, juicy burger and diving right in. The waitress asked if they needed anything else and no one did, so she nodded and left to go stand behind the counter and help a few other customers in the diner. Dean munched on his food and washed it all down with his Pepsi.

"It's complicated." Castiel finally said between bites of his grilled cheese. "That's all." He bit into his sandwich and sighed contently. Dean laughed because of the blissful look on Castiel's face due to a grilled cheese sandwich, but then he looked at his piece of pie and sighed. He understood. Nothing in the world compared to a nice slice of homemade apple pie.

"Nothing's complicated. Did you do the do, or not?" Charlie blatantly asked. Castiel coughed and choked on his food. His eyes started watering and he cleared his throat. Dean patted him on the back, calming the spasm.

"Come one, man. It's just a little grilled cheese." Dean soothed Castiel by rubbing circles on Castiel's back. Castiel rubbed his watering eyes and gulped down his drink to clear his throat. "And no." Dean looked over to Charlie, disdain in his green eyes. "It's none of your business, so don't." He cut into his pie with the side of his fork and took a bite.

The table was silent until Charlie shrugged. She pulled out her wallet from her messenger bag and set down two twenties. "A girl can dream." She smiled. "I got the bill." Gabriel laid a little money down for the tip and got up from the table. Charlie followed him and they stood, waiting for Dean and Castiel.

"Thanks, Charlie." Dean said, feeling bad that he snapped, but he didn't want to dive any deeper and he had a feeling that Castiel didn't want to as well.

"No problem, my main man. Just think of it as a down payment to all those dirty little secrets your hiding." She winked and hooked arms with Gabriel. "Shall we go?" Gabriel nodded and they walked off towards the door. Castiel wiped his mouth off with a napkin before setting it down on the table top and scooting out of the booth behind Dean. The four graduates left the diner with content stomachs and tired bodies. It was nearing bon fire time when they made it back to the campground, but there was no bonfire going on that night. Any wood that was collected was too wet to light, thus no large gathering of people around the pit.

Dean was almost glad that it was going to be a quiet night. The night before was just so crazy that it was nice to just have a calm night. Gabriel and Charlie said that they were off to play more video games, something about Charlie beating Gabriel one too many times and Gabriel needed to even the score. Dean hugged Charlie goodnight and nodded at Gabriel. Castiel nodded at the both of them. When Gabriel and Charlie closed up tent and resumed game playing, Dean snaked his hand down Castiel's arm and held his hand.

"Was the diner good enough? Not hungry anymore?" Dean asked, swinging his arm back and forth, bringing Castiel's along with it. "The pie was pretty good." After a couple minutes of silence, Dean sighed. He was defeated. Something was up with Castiel and more drama was the last thing on Dean's list of things he needed to deal with. "You know, I haven't really been i_with/i _you for long. Not even two days, really." Dean let Castiel's hand drop from his grasp. "I haven't done anything wrong. I just act like that. That waitress, well, she was hot, but not good enough." Dean shrugged, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Am I good enough?" Dean felt the full effect of his words when he looked up to suddenly see Castiel's blue eyes wide and confused.

"Yeah, Cas." Dean stood back. "Why would you think-?" His brows rose with worry.

"I don't trust people."

"And I don't look trustworthy when I go and do things like that…" Dean ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a long breath.

"No."

Dean stepped forward and held Castiel's shoulders. "You can trust me." He tilted his head and tried to get Castiel to look at him again. Castiel shrugged off Dean's hands and stepped away.

"I don't even trust my family. My brothers, my father." Castiel stared up at the sky through the trees and saw nothing but darkness. The clouds covered up the stars, and that made Castiel felt infinitely small in the world. "So I can't trust you." A rumble of thunder rolled overhead. Soon after the sky lit up with a streak of lightening. Castiel stood feet away from Dean and his body was visibly shaking.

"Hey." Dean reached for Castiel, but the blue-eyed boy quickly stepped back, his eyes wide. Dean grabbed his hand and pulled him close. "Trust me." He smashed his lips roughly against Castiel's and held onto the fabric of his sweatshirt. Castiel pushed back, but Dean pulled him along. They almost tripped and fell over, but Dean caught his footing and continued to pull Castiel back to his tent while he locked lips with him. Mud sloshed around their feet and up onto the tent's side when they got close. Dean fumbled with the zipper and they toppled inside. They kicked their muddy shoes off outside of the tent, pulled their feet inside and Dean hastily zipped the tent back up. Clothing went flying within moments. Dean pulled his shirt over his head and his shorts down from his waist. Castiel struggled with his sweatshirt, but with a little help from Dean, that article of clothing went flying, as well as his shirt.

"Dean."

"Cas, I know you don't usually talk much, but just shut up." Dean attacked Castiel's mouth again. This time he slipped his tongue inside the wet cavern and exploring. His hot breath mixed with Castiel's. He licked Castiel's upper lip. His lips traveled to Castiel's jawline, while his hands pulled at Castiel's shorts. It was just like earlier. Simple and easy to get what he wanted. His hand wrapped around Castiel's cock. Castiel's gasped, his back arching. His neck was revealed and Dean took full advantage. He nipped and licked. Castiel moaned out, his noise mixing with the thunder roaring outside.

"D-dean." Castiel ran his fingers through Dean's hair as dean traveled down Castiel's chest, leaving a trail of kisses. He paused near Castiel's groin. Then licked his lips before taking Castiel in. "Ngh…" Castiel tossed his head to the side; he bit the inside of his cheeks. His hands clenched onto the blankets in the tent. "Dean-"

Dean pulled off of Castiel with a 'pop.' He looked up at Castiel with hungry eyes. Dean's tongue ran the length of Castiel's cock. He then trailed kisses back up to Castiel's mouth. "Am I trustworthy now?" Dean asked in a gruff voice. He nibbled on Castiel's bottom lip. "Do you see now that you are the one on my mind?" Dean smoothed his hands over Castiel's hipbones and discarded the remainder of his shorts.

"Dean I-" Castiel's breathing was hitched. "Dean, please." He bucked his hip forward into Dean erection. They touched for a moment and that made them both crazy. Dean groaned as he pushed harder onto Castiel. "Dean, do it." Dean pulled back, his face flushed and shocked. "Dean, get me ready." Castiel had a hint of demand in his voice. "Like a girl…" Castiel exhaled. "With your fingers." Castiel widened his legs apart to Dean's surprise. Dean squeezed what little flub was on Castiel's thighs. He ran to fingers over his tongue, slicking them up with his saliva.

"Okay?" Dean said, positioning his fingers where he guessed they would go, only one hole, only one way to do it. Castiel quickly nodded, his legs spreading farther for Dean's access. Dean let out a shaky breath and calmly pushed a single digit inside. The muscle instantly tightened, but he pushed on, sliding another finger inside. Castiel moaned when dean pushed past the first ring of muscle and began to move his fingers freely inside of him. Dean pushed his fingers in and out of Castiel, widening him and slicking him up.

"Dean… I want you...inside." Castiel's eyes were watering and his face was red with blush. "Please." Dean gulped. He pulled his finger out of Castiel's entrance and rolled his shoulders to free himself from his unstable nerves. He grabbed his cock and rubbed it a couple times up and down before lining himself up. He looked down, knowing how it worked for the most part, but he was still on edge about actually having sex with a guy. Especially Castiel. The guy was quiet and reserved for the most part, but when he got into the mood, he became needy and a bit demanding. "Dean." Castiel said, propping himself up on his elbows.

"I'm good, just give me a second." Dean blew his cheeks out and let air slip from his lips. "I'm-"

Suddenly Castiel sat up and climbed on top of Dean. "I can help." He straddled Dean's lap, sitting just above Dean's erection. He guiding it with one hand while he slowly lowered himself onto Dean. Dean gasped when he was fully inside Castiel. He gave some space to move and Castiel accommodated. "Let me." He whispered into Dean's ear, while licking his lobe. Dean moaned when Castiel started to move. At first Castiel moved slowly, his skin slapped onto Dean's. Dean thrust forward as Castiel fell down onto him over and over. Once Dean got into rhythm and felt like he was doing it right, He grabbed Castiel by the hips and pushed him down on his back. Dean moved in and out, each thrust coming harder and harder until he could feel it coming.

It was different compared to any girl he had ever been with. Dean didn't have to try as hard to romance and please Castiel; any move he made would send shivers of pleasure through Castiel's body, which was enough for him. Dean bit his lip as he moved his hips in circles. A deep, warm feeling developed in his lower abdomen. His thrusts became staggered as he tried to hold back. "Y-you can come." Castiel whimpered. His own cock was throbbing, ready for release. Dean blew out an exasperated sigh. He thrust once more before his seed was released into Castiel. Castiel did the same, coming onto Dean's chest like he had earlier that day. Dean waited until he was flaccid inside of Castiel before slipping out and collapsing next to him. He breathed heavily and couldn't help but smile when he grabbed the dirty shirt from earlier and wiped himself down yet again. "Cas, do you trust me now?" He asked slyly, leaning over and lightly kissing Castiel's sweat glistened forehead.

Castiel was silent. He counted his breaths and looked over to Dean. The dull ache in his lower back made him feel alive made him feel like the most important person in Dean's life. He nodded as his eyes glimmered with wet happiness. He snuggled close to Dean and wrapped an arm over Dean's chest. "I think I can." He whispered. "Just you."

Dean pursed his lips, thinking back to when Castiel first revealed his trust issues. _ my family, my brothers, my father. _ "Cas…" Dean mumbled, pushing a bit of hair away from Castiel's forehead and kissing him again. "Why can't you trust your family? What's so bad that you can't trust them?" Dean couldn't understand, his family was close, well, except with his dad, but Dean and Sam were almost inseparable, and their mother was one amazing woman. "How come?" Dean pried.

Castiel stiffened and pulled his arm away from Dean. He was getting that feeling again. When he thought about it too much, it just felt like he was suffocating, like he was drowning, like he was dying all over again. "_ You're worthless." "You're brother never did anything wrong." "It's your fault you almost drowned." _Castiel clawed at his over beating heart. "Dean, I can't." Castiel sat up and trembled. "I'm not allowed to say anything. Never."

Dean shot up from the blankets on the ground and grabbed Castiel by the shoulders and shook him. "Cas, I said you could trust me. Obviously something is killing you. What's gong on? What happened?" Castiel tried pulling away, but Dean pulled him closer, stilling his trembling body in strong arms. Castiel dug his face into Dean's neck and let out several shaky breaths. He could breath again. He didn't feel the pressure of water bearing down on him, instead he felt Dean, warm and safe, Dean. "Cas…"

"My brother… Michael. When we were younger, things just went wrong." Castiel swallowed hard. "He tried to kill me."


	9. From Another Time

"What do you mean he tried to kill you?!" Dean held Castiel at a distance, bewilderment in his eyes. "Why? How? Why didn't anyone stop him?" Dean had so many questions and yet Castiel was just staying silent. Castiel started to get a blank look on his face, like he was in another place in his mind, but Dean broke the stare when he shook Castiel. "Cas, you can't just say that and then not finish the whole story."

"I'm not their real brother, Gabriel and Michael's." Castiel started off. He inhaled sharply. "Really, I was an accident of my father's affair." He hadn't told anyone who had already known. Dean was the first. "So naturally, I'm not accepted." Dean frowned thinking about Castiel as an unwanted child.

"Cas, you're awesome now. How could you be any different as a kid?" Dean smiled and tried to cheer up Castiel. They sat there naked and the tent was cooling down rapidly as a storm front rolled in after the first one blew through. "Here, put your clothes on." Dean frantically grabbed clothing and accidentally handed Castiel his own shirt. Castiel pursed his lips and pulled on the clothing. While he was pulling Dean's shirt over his head, Dean was pulling on his clothes instead. It was a good thing that he and Castiel were around the same size, the clothing fit.

"It's really not hard for them to hate me. I caused trouble in their household. Especially since Gabriel and I were born around the same time." Castiel let out a deep breath. "So when I came to visit for the summer when I was young, we went out to the lake, and-"

All the signs shot through Dean. Castiel was afraid of the water and generally uneasy about camping as a whole. "He tried to drown you…" Dean wasn't asking, he knew at that point. "Cas, I'm-" Dean raised a hand and tried to comfort Castiel, but the blue-eyed graduate turned away.

"You're not allowed to be sorry. It wasn't your fault. Don't apologize." Castiel stared at Dean. His eyes bored into Dean hard and ice blue. "That's why I don't trust anyone, Dean. Human being's hurt each other, and my family is no different."

Dean groaned, knowing he couldn't get through to Castiel even if he tried. Castiel was a brick wall when if came to emotions. It was a miracle he had opened up just a little bit. Dean had only known him for a short time, but he knew that Castiel was probably closer to him than any other person out there, family or not. "You're tired, get some sleep." Dean said, an ounce of demand in his voice. He laid back in a huff onto his sleeping bag and patted the space next to him. Castiel snuffed his nose and lied down next to Dean. Dean wrapped an arm around his male lover and closed his eyes. "When I meet that brother of yours, I'm going to punch him in the face."

Castiel placed his head on Dean's chest and listened to his heartbeat. "Okay." He smiled and shut him eyes. "That's okay with me." He fell asleep feeling ten times better than he did before having let all of his secrets loose and letting Dean in just a little bit. He softly snored and Dean smiled, leaning down and kissing the top of Castiel's head.

"G'night." He whispered and fell asleep soundly.

Sunday morning everyone woke up and witnessed the devastation the storm had caused the day and night before. Dean stepped out of his messy tent and looked around the campground. Empty beer cans and cups were thrown about the grounds. The rafts that were in the lake disappeared and the lake itself seemed several inches higher. Some clouds were still in the sky and the wind was still blowing. Dean quickly grabbed a shower before heading back to his tent to try and wake Castiel up. "Hey."

Castiel grumbled. He hated mornings. Dean should have figured that from the first time he tried to wake Castiel up. "Go away." He growled. "I'm sleeping." He pushed his face into Dean's pillow while hugging onto his own pillow. Dean shrugged and just let him sleep for a while longer. He left the tent again, this time with a sweatshirt on due to the cold weather. Dean picked up cups and cans on his way over to Gabriel's tent. When he finally got there he saw the ten open and Charlie and Gabriel were set up on fold-up chair outside of the tent.

"Hey, Dean. Crazy weather right?" Gabriel said, raising his bottle of Gatorade and nodding at Dean. "Where's my brother?"

"Sleeping." Dean yawned. "Not a morning person."

"Tell me about it." Gabriel laughed.

"How was the night, Dean?" Charlie piped up. Her red hair was tied back into a ponytail. "Anything…. Good happen?" She curiously asked.

"Don't start, ginge." Dean hissed. Charlie looked appalled at Dean's joke towards her hair. She puffed out her cheeks and glared at Dean. They shared a mutual hate for each other for a small moment before they both started laughing.

"You're not bad, Bradbury."

"Not to bad yourself, Winchester." Charlie smiled and then looked at Gabriel who had gotten up from his chair and started to take his things out of his tent. "So Dean, are you leaving today too?" Charlie asked.

"What? Why?" Dean shook his head in confusion. "Everyone said that they were staying until Monday.

"The radar says different." Gabriel shouted from the inside of the tent. "It's supposed to rain for the most part of today and tomorrow. The weekend is over, Dean. I'm heading home." Gabriel popped out from his tent, holding his rolled up sleeping bag. "Cas didn't tell you?" He asked.

Dean shook his head. "No, he didn't." He then thought about his ride back home, if they were staying or leaving that day. "Mind if I hitch a ride if my ide left already?" Dean checked the time on his watch. "I have to go find them, can you wait?"

"Sure." Gabriel complied. "Go wake up Cas for me too."

Dean nodded before sprinting off to find his ride. When he made it to their tent sites, he saw that they were all cleaned up and ready to drive off in their car. "Sorry, man. We couldn't get a hold of you." The one guy said. He pointed to the back of the car. "We're all filled up, too. You got a ride?" Dean was a little pissed that they were going to leave without him, but he let them go guilt free.

"Yeah, man. I'll hitch a ride with someone else." Dean waved goodbye as they drove off, honking the horn as they went. He sighed and looked up at the sky. If there were only a way to get the sun to shine again, he would stay. But as Gabriel said, the radar didn't look good and everyone was heading out. He quickly made his way back to Gabriel and Charlie and made sure they were going to stay around for a little longer so he didn't get left behind.

"Go pack up, we're heading out in about an hour." Gabriel said, taking down the final part of his tent and folding it up so that it would fit into the bag. Charlie had her things packed up into her duffle bag and she stood there waiting for Dean to say goodbye.

"You're off?" Dean asked.

"I'll be around." She smirked, opening her arms for Dean. Dean reluctantly hugged her goodbye. She was an annoying red head, but pretty cool for a girl. When they were close and hugging, Charlie looked up to Dean and whispered. "I'll call Jo and see how she is doing." Dean nodded, silently thanking her. They parted and Charlie playfully punched Dean in the chest. "Adios Bitches." She held her hand up in a star trekked wave and walked off.

"I'll go pack, and wake up the monster." Dean saluted to Gabriel as he walked off back towards his tent and unzipped the front. "Alright, I gave you more time, now wake up." Dean pulled the blanket away from Castiel. "Up." He commanded.

"Mmmf." Castiel groaned. He turned around and squinted up at Dean. "Why?" He asked.

"Gabriel is packing up and leaving, and unless you want this tent to come down on you, I suggest you get up and get packed too. Gabe's taking me home too." Dean stepped inside the tent, rolling the blanket up in his arms. He found all of his belonging and shoved them inside of his duffle bag. "Come on." Dean poked Castiel in the side and it made him jolt upward and glare at Dean.

"I'm awake." Castiel groaned as he stretched his back out. His joints popped in his back. "Why is my brother leaving today?

"Weather's bad." Dean continued to pack his things. He threw some of Castiel's clothing his way and then he rolled up his sleeping bag. "I guess the radar says it's going to keep raining."

"I dislike the rain." Castiel yawned and rubbed his eyes. He sat up and kneeled on his knees. He picked up his clothes and folded them to put in his bag. He pulled out some clean clothing and left the tent after mumbling something about a shower. When he returned Dean had gotten all of the extra items out of the tent and was dismantling it. Castiel scratched his head through his dark wet hair. "What's the rush?" He asked.

"I don't want to get left behind twice." Dean chuckled. He slowed down and folded his tent with care. Castiel stood by his packed bags and watched Dean pack the rest of the things. The wind picked up and chilled the two. "Hey, Cas." Dean softly called out to him. "Uh- well- how long is you staying in town?" Someone had to ask the question. Dean thought that what they had together was worth it to keep going. The only question was how long could they last.

"August." Castiel said bluntly. "Mid-August to be exact." Castiel helped Dean pack the tent up into its bag. "Will that be long enough for you to teach me how to swim?" Castiel asked, avoiding the bigger problem all together. Dean looked at him with disbelief in his eyes.

"Yeah." He sighed. "You should be good by then." Dean roughly zipped up his bags and placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Let's get going." He patted Castiel lightly and started to walk off. His body felt heavy with uncertainty towards Castiel's feelings.

"Dean." Castiel said, standing still next to his bags. "If I could say longer-" Dean stopped and looked back at him. "I would, but I have college." Castiel was stoic when Dean approached him and grabbed his hand. "Back home, I have college."

"It's okay." Dean rubbed his thumb over the back of Castiel's hand. "Wish I had a plan like that, but school never worked out for me anyways. So, let's just take the summer as it is." Dean looked around to see if anyone was about. Only a few people were busy off in the distance. He took the moment and grabbed Castiel tightly. He locked sight with him and kissed him so passionately that Castiel was at a loss for air. He breathed in deeply when Dean let him go.

"Summer." Castiel let a small smile creep onto his face. "A long summer."

"Yeah, Cas." Dean smiled. "A very long summer."


	10. The Summer Commences

"Turn it up!" Dean yelled to the front seat. He tried reaching for the volume on the radio system in Gabriel's car, but Castiel swatted his hand away. "Come on, this song is awesome!"

"This song is from the '70's." Castiel rolled his eyes at Dean, but turned the radio up to please the backseat driver. Dean nodded his head to the beat of the music and tapped on the back of Castiel's seat.

"The best of rock and roll, my friend." Dean sat back and mimicked the guitar. Castiel looked back at him and rolled his eyes again. Dean just smiled back. Some sun peeked through the clouds and shined onto Dean's face through the car window. Castiel caught a look at the sheer amount of freckles on Dean's face and couldn't help but grin. "What are you smiling at?" Dean caught the glimmer of happiness.

"Nothing." Castiel huffed, quickly facing away. A tinge of pink dusted his cheeks. "Gabriel, don't laugh." Castiel faced the passenger window and watched the scenery go by as Gabriel chuckled at the on-goings of the passengers in his car. Castiel leaned forward and turned up the volume on the radio.

They drove down the highway and the rain clouds stayed at bay all the way home. Dean had told Gabriel the directions to his house, he lived a little on the outskirts of town, but not too far away that it was a hassle for Gabriel to drive to. He pulled up into the driveway and whistled at the black classic car that was parked there. "Nice ride, Dean. How come you're not driving that around?"

Dean let out a heft laugh. "Like my dad would ever give that car to me. He loves the thing more than me." And that was the sad truth. Gabriel parked his car next to the impala and turned in his seat to say goodbye to Dean. "This is it." Dean said, unhappily. He quickly glanced at Castiel who was staring at his lap, clenching his hands together.

"We'll see you around." Gabriel grinned, holding his hand out and shaking hands with Dean. Dean reached over the backseat in the small SUV and grabbed his duffle and tent bags. He lugged them over the seat with a grunt. Dean opened the car door and got out. He shut it softly behind him. Castiel suddenly looked up. Dean hadn't said goodbye to him. He started to breath sharply and stared at his brother. Gabriel smiled at him and pointed towards the window behind him.

Dean tapped on the glass. Castiel whipped his head towards him and quickly rolled down the window. "Dean-"

"Thought I was going to leave without saying goodbye?" Dean tapped Castiel's cheek with his index finger. Castiel nodded in embarrassment. His cheeks lit up red when Dean moved in to kiss him. Gabriel whistled like he wasn't paying attention. Dean quickly placed a kiss on Castiel's lips and pulled back smiling. "I'll see you around, Cas." Dean pulled back, his smile fading. "I'll find a way to get the car for a night or something, okay?"

"Dean, give me your hand." Castiel held his hand out, waiting for Dean to place his onto it. Castiel popped open the glove box and found a pen inside. He took Dean's hand and scribbled down numbers. "This is my cellphone." He said, dashing and signing his name "Cas."

"Thanks." Dean curled his fingers to his written-on palm. He strummed his fingers on the side of the car and then saluted the brothers. "By guys." Dean started to walk off to the front door of his house when it opened and a blonde woman stepped out. Castiel watched for a moment, realizing it was Dean's mother when he hugged her. He saw them conversing a little before she looked up at the car and waved. Castiel raised his hand and waved back. Dean's mother then went back to talking to Dean when Castiel started to roll the window back up. Gabriel gave his brother a content look.

"I can lend you my car whenever." He said, reassuring Castiel that he would see Dean again, and soon. Just as Gabriel was putting the car in reverse, he suddenly stopped and chuckles to himself. "I think Dean doesn't want to say goodbye just yet." Dean was yet again tapping on the car window and Castiel, again, rolled the window down.

"Dean?"

"My mom wants to know if you and Gabe want to come in and have some lemonade. She just made some." Dean rolled his eyes. "She makes good lemonade, from scratch. And she will continue to ask until you get out of the car." Dean pulled the car handle and opened the down. Gabriel pulled the keys from the ignition and pocketed them. Dean stepped back and Castiel got out of the car.

Gabriel shut his door and followed Dean and Castiel up to the front door where Dean's mother was waiting. Dean made sure he kept a normal distance from Castiel to prevent anyone from knowing anything. He eyed Gabriel and Gabriel nodded, knowing to keep his mouth shut. "Mom, this is Gabriel and Cas Novak, friends of mine."

"Hi boys, how was camping?" Mary asked right away. "Darn this weather for making you come home early." She wrapped her arms around the boys and guided them inside. Inside Dean's home, Castiel breathed in and was delighted by the fruit-like smell that filled the home. "Sit, sit." Dean's mother shooed them away to the table that was just inside the front door. The three pulled out chairs and sat down. Mary hurried off to the kitchen that was attached to the main dining room. She came back with a pitched of fresh lemonade and fours glasses.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked, looking throughout the house for his brother. He then heard a trample come down the stairs and soon his lanky brother stepped into the room. "Never mind." Dean smirked, grabbing a glass. Castiel and Gabriel also grabbed glasses and Mary poured the lemonade for them. She grabbed the fourth glass and handed it to Sam.

"Thanks, mom." Sam sipped his drink and swayed on his feet. "So, who are you guys?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at the Novak brothers.

"Manners, Samuel!" Mary scolded.

Sam cringed. "Sorry, I'm Sam."

"Gabriel."

"Castiel."

Sam stood back and took in another gulp of lemonade. "Woah, super biblical I see." Sam laughed and gave Dean a look of 'where'd you find these people?'

"Samuel Winchester, manners!" Mary swatted the towel that she had in her hands at Sam. Sam cringed away and spilled a small amount of his lemonade onto his hands. "Go clean your room."

"It's half Dean's room!" Sam yelled on his way back up the stairs. "I'm only cleaning my side!" Mary rolled her eyes and apologized to Gabriel and Castiel. They shrugged, not minding Sam's teenage manners.

"Our father was actually the one who named myself and my brothers." Gabriel said, answering Sam's question to the other Winchester's in the room. "All after angels. Gabriel and Michael the archangels-" Dean's eyes shot towards Castiel when Gabriel brought up Michael. Dean still had the burning feeling that he wanted to pummel Castiel's half-brother, Michael, for even laying a hand on him. He might have not known Castiel back then, but he still felt protective. "Castiel the angel of Thursday, seeing as Cas was born on a Thursday."

"So was Dean, here." Mary smiled, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder and rubbing it lovingly. "But being named after angels is a wonderful thing. I always told Dean that angels were watch-"

"Mom." Dean interrupted her. She shut her mouth and smiled at her oldest son.

"Excuse me." She said softly, setting down the pitcher onto the table and walking off back into the kitchen. Dean heard the sink turn on and he sighed. He looked at Gabriel, who grinned at him, and then he looked at Castiel.

"She's lovely." Castiel said, adjusting himself in his seat. He raised his glass of lemonade to his mouth and drank. The table was silent except for the rush of water from the faucet in the kitchen. "I like her very much."

"Thanks." Dean's face darkened a shade of red and he stared at his lap. His mother was the most loving woman he had ever known. She had an air around her that made people fall in love and feel comfortable. "She tries." He chuckled. The three boys sat and drank their lemonade before Gabriel checked the watch on his wrist and his eyes widened.

"Cas, I told dad that we would be home by two." Gabriel pushed his chair back and gathered his and Castiel's glasses. Dean instantly stood up along with him and took the glasses from him. He carried them off to the kitchen where his mother was cooking up something on the stove.

"Smells good mom."

"Thanks honey. You're friends can stay for lunch if they would like?" she pulled the large spoon from the pot on the stove and whisked it through the air. "Especially Castiel, he's a handsome boy." She winked, making Dean uncomfortable. He gave her a fake disgusted look. She grinned widely. "He's a new friend, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is." Flecks of pink scattered Dean's cheeks. "But he has to go-they have to go. They told their dad they would be home soon, so…" Dean set the glasses down by the sink. "Thanks for he lemonade, mom."

"Anytime, Dean."

Dean returned to the small dining area to see Castiel and Gabriel standing near the doorway. He didn't really know how to say goodbye again. He couldn't exactly kiss Castiel while his mother was in the other room. He held his hand out for Gabriel. They shook. Then Dean went to shake hands with Castiel also. "I-I'll call you then." He said, his hand shaking. "Okay? Cas?"

"Yes, Dean." Castiel extended his hand and took Deans. Gabriel started to make a gagging noise. The dark haired Novak whipped his head and glared. "What, Gabriel?"

"Go ahead. I will keep watch." Gabriel turned and stood a few feet over, watching for Dean's mother. "Just kiss." He whispered harshly. Dean got a concerned look on his face, but the look was wiped away when Castiel grabbed him and kissed him like it was his last kiss, because it would be for a while. Dean placed his hands on Castiel's sides and pulled him closer. He got lost in the kiss.

A tumble of steps started to come down the stairs. Gabriel listened closely and then realized that it was Dean's younger brother coming down from his room. "Hey guys, little bro coming on thru." Dean instantly pulled back, licking his lips. Castiel stood back and straightened his clothing. They stood there breathing in sync when Sam came down to the end of the steps. He looked over at them, shook his head calling them weird, and then stepped into the kitchen.

"Alright, we better get going." Gabriel ushered his star struck brother on and out the door. "Call him later, Dean." They were outside when Dean waved goodbye and then looked at the numbers scrawled onto his hand. He smiled, curling his fingers into his palm.

"Yeah, I'll call later." He shut the door slowly, watching them get into the car before he fully closed the door.

"What's with that look on your face, Dean?" Sam asked, peaking out from the kitchen. His mother was right behind him with the same expression. Dean rolled his eyes and picked up his bags from camping. He walked past his mother and brother and trekked up the stairs. When he was halfway, he shouted down.

"Forget about, guys." He laughed to himself.


	11. Welcome Home, Dean Winchester

**Chapter 11: Welcome Home, Dean Winchester**

Down the hall, past his parent's bedroom, the linen closet and the bathroom was Dean's shared room with Sam. The door was already open when Dean stepped inside and saw that his side of the room was the same as he had left it and his kid brother didn't mess with any of his things. He dropped his bags off next to his bed, which was nearest to the door. Before sitting down on his bed, Dean grabbed a scrap of paper from his messy desk and scribbled down the numbers from his hand. That way, the numbers wouldn't get lost if he washed his hands or anything.

Dean plopped down onto his bed, leaned against the headboard and kicked his shoes off before propping his legs up in the mattress. He leaned back against his pillows and sighed contently. His bed felt like a clod compared to the hard ground he had been sleeping on for the past couple nights. After a couple minutes of heavenly bliss, Dean got off his bed and started to unpack. He threw the tent outside of his room for it to be put away in the garage later. He then worked on his duffle bag, filled with dirty clothes and toiletries. He returned his shower things and toothbrush to the bathroom down the hall and then threw his dirty clothes in the hamper. He kept his ruined t-shirt out of the hamper though. He didn't exactly want his mother to see all of the manly fluids on shirt, some of his and some of Castiel's. He rolled the shirt up and threw it in the garbage.

"Dean! Lunch is ready!" It was a late lunch, but a grateful lunch at that. Dean smelled the air and realized his mother made cooked sandwiches for lunch and that something that was on the stove must have been cooked apples, Dean's second favorite next to apple pie. Dean carried his clothes hamper out of the room and down the stairs. Before he grabbed some food to eat, he dumped his dirty clothes into the washing machine and turned it on after putting detergent in. He walked out to the kitchen and his mother had a sandwich sitting there. Dean grabbed the plate and then scooped some apples from the stove and grabbed a handful of chips.

"Thanks, mom." Dean said, munching on the chips before he sat down. Sam was already at the table when Dean sat down next to him. "Have you seen dad around?" Dean asked. His father was a mechanic and worked with their Uncle Bobby. The guy wasn't really related to them, but closer than any other family the Winchester's had.

"Dad had to go into the shop. Some guy crashed his car and needed it worked on right away, I guess." Sam chomped on his sandwich and smiled. "He said he would be back around dinner time, though." Dean nodded while eating his sandwich between hands size amounts of chips. Mary joined her children at the table with her plate.

"So Dean. How was the camping trip?" She asked then took a bite of her sandwich. "Have fun?"

Dean gulped, and smiled at his mother. "Yeah." Dean shoved the remaining amount of his sandwich into his mouth. He was trying to avoid talking about Castiel in fear that he might slip up, but his weekend was filled with Castiel. "I actually saved a life." Dean said proudly and forked the last bit of cooked apples. His mother gave him a questioning look. "Cas doesn't know how to swim and some guys threw him in the lake. So I dived in and got him out."

"Did you give him CPR?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow and aiming he gay joke at Dean.

"Did you wank off in the room?" Dean retorted. Sam's face grew bright red. Their mother scowled, but let it slide since they were boys and brothers. They were made to make fun of each other. Sam crossed his arms on his chest and grumbled. Dean smirked and sat back in his chair. He continued his story to his mom about the weekend. "Lots of laying around and relaxing I guess." Dean pursed his lips, thinking about the laying around part. He did lie around, but mostly with Castiel.

"How was Jo, was she there? She's such a pleasant girl." Mary smiled and picked up Dean and Sam's plates as well as her own. Dean sat still and he stared at his lap.

"Dean?" Mary asked on her way to the kitchen to put the dishes in the sink. "Was she there?"

"Uh, yeah. She's good." Dean lied. He wasn't about to tell his mother that he broke the heart of the girl that she thought was Dean's girlfriend. Just then the timer for the washing machine went off and Dean sat up quickly. He didn't want to talk much more about the weekend. He just wanted to get his laundry done and then head over to Bobby's garage and ask what he could help with. Anything beat talking about Jo and how severely he messed things up with her. Then a thought crossed his mind. If Jo had left the camping trip early to go home because she was upset, that meant she went home upset and Ellen saw her upset. And if Jo said that he had made her upset, Ellen was going to be out for revenge. Mrs. Harvelle was a terrifying woman. Dean groaned as he switched his laundry over to the dryer.

Gabriel helped carry the bags from his car with Castiel into the house. It was a fairly large house, well over size for the five people living there. Castiel felt a little bad after seeing Dean's small house about the size of his father's. It was a mansion, per say. Gabriel stuck his keys into the door lock on the front door and turned the key. When he got inside, he turned off the alarm and then waved Castiel in.

"Anyone home?" Gabriel called out. He set his bags down and looked around the house for a couple seconds before finding the note on the wall near the door. He read it quickly and shrugged. "Dad and Michael went golfing. My mom went out with some friends, shopping." Gabriel picked his bags back up and Castiel followed him. They put the tent away in the mudroom and then the two went into the kitchen for some food.

"Well we can order in some pizza." Gabriel said, looking in the cupboards and then into the fridge realizing that they didn't have anything worth eating.

"Sounds good." Castiel nodded. He pulled out his cell phone and checked for any missed calls or texts. He had only been away from Dean for a small amount of time, but it was enough to make his heart hurt.

"He's probably busy, Cas." Gabriel said, dialing the number for the nearest pizza place.

"I know." Castiel replied. He pocketed his phone and rested his elbows on the countertop.

"Peperoni?"

"Sure."

Gabriel ordered the pizza for delivery and hung up the phone after paying with his card. "So is your summer okay so far?" Gabriel asked. He was generally concerned about his brother. "I mean you had that water scare this weekend."

"Dean saved me."

"I know, but are you really okay? Michael's not going to upset you when he shows up?"

"Dean i _saved /i_me, Gabriel. I'm okay, if I wasn't. He would make sure that I was." Gabriel started to speak, but Castiel stood back from the counter and picked up his bags. "I'll be in the guest room, unpacking." With that he left the kitchen area and went up the large staircase towards the guest room. Castiel sighed with relief when he shut the door behind him. He leaned against the door and took his phone out again. No calls. Castiel wasn't lying to Gabriel when he said Dean saved him. It was weird. They hadn't known each other very long, but Castiel felt like Dean had changed him entirely, made him feel entirely different.

_"When I meet that brother of yours, I'm going to punch him in the face."_

Cas replayed that moment over in his head. When he laid naked in the arms of Dean. When Dean was inside of him. When they were making love. That was it. Castiel only felt love towards his mother, but this was a different type of love. This was soul-mate level love. Cas shrugged out of his light jacket and threw it into the hamper. He opened his bag and threw those in the hamper as well. He then found a shirt that wasn't his. It was from the night when he and Dean accidentally switched shirts. He picked it up and pushed it against his face, taking in a deep breath. He then threw the shirt into the hamper. He would give it back to Dean when he saw him next which was hopefully soon.

"Hey, Cas! The pizza is here!" Gabriel called when the doorbell rang throughout the house. He opened the door and got the hot pizza. He thanked the driver and shut the door. "Come down from there, Cas!" Gabriel carried the pizza to the kitchen. Castiel came downstairs and sniffed the air. He smiled a little and entered the kitchen. Gabriel was already serving up the pizza and drooling at the pepperoni goodness in front of him. Gabriel set down a plate in front of Castiel and smiled. "Eat up, bro!"

Castiel thanked his brother and picked up his slice of pizza. When he took a bite all he could think about doing was sharing that pizza was Dean.

Down the street from the Winchester household was the Harvelle house. Jo was sitting outside on her front porch watching the cars drive by. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand. "Stupid, jerk." She grumbled, then stood up and walked inside her house. Her mother was inside, sitting at the couch and watching the afternoon news. Jo was glad that she was not working that day. It was Sunday, which meant the bars weren't open and that meant her mom's bar wasn't open.

"Have fun watching paint dry?" Ellen asked her daughter. Jo grumbled some more and plopped down next to her mother. "Are you going to tell me what's going on with you?" You came home yesterday crying and have been silent ever since. Do I need to get my shovel and bury someone alive?"

"I'm fine." Jo lied. She wiped her tearing up eyes again and leaned against her mother. Ellen frowned and nudged her daughter lovingly. Jo hugged onto her mothers arm and watched the news with her mother for the next hour. When the news was over Ellen filled the silence with a few questions that made Jo on edge.

"It was that Winchester boy wasn't it?"

"What'd he do?"

"Did he cheat on you?"

Jo sat back with wide eyes. "Mom! Dean's-"

"So it was the Winchester boy." Ellen stood up. "I'll take care of it."

Jo frantically stopped her mother. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to explain everything from falling for Dean to making out with Dean. She was so flustered by her mother's constant talking and threatening that she could only say one thing. "He's gay, mom. Gay!"

Ellen stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh." She sat back down on the couch and took her daughter's hands. "Well, some boys are like that- I guess." She said uncomfortably.

"He never told me. He just played with my heart and then screwed me over!" JO yelled out angrily. She let tears fall down her face. "I thought that Dean was the one, you know." Jo wiped her face. Ellen held her in her arms.

"I'll get the shovel. No one makes my baby, cry." Ellen said, making Jo laugh. They sat on the couch until all of Jo's tears were gone. Ellen stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Better?"

"I'm good." Jo reassured her mother. "I'm finally going to go unpack. I didn't do much of anything yesterday, and I need to call Charlie. I left her hanging when she called me earlier." Jo stood up and headed down the hall to her room. She pulled out her phone and dialed for Charlie. The tone sounded until Charlie picked up.

"Hey, sorry I didn't call back earlier."

"_It's all good elf princess."_ Charlie laughed through the phone. _"Talk to your mom yet?"_

"Yeah." Jo responded. "Hey, can you maybe come over, we can finish out the weekend. Maybe play some video games?" Jo was desperate for a friend. Her mother helped, but not enough.

_"Damn. Since I came home early I called into work and have to work tomorrow, so I can't come over tonight." _ Jo sighed and Charlie apologized. "_But I can ask Chuck is I can have off a day or two next week."_

"That sounds like a plan." Jo held her phone between her ear and her shoulder and she slipped her socks off and threw them to the floor. She smiled into her phone. "So Charlie, how'd things go after I left?" She was curious.

"_Pretty calm. The weather kind of bummed everyone out. Most of everyone left this morning when I left_." There was a beeping on Charlie's end of the call. "_Hey, Jo. I have to go. It's work calling." _Jo said goodbye, telling Charlie to text her later on. Charlie agreed and then hung up the phone. She felt better than she had before having talked to her mother and her best friend. She fell back onto her bed and yawned. A nap wouldn't kill her on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A nap would actually be the best thing for a heart broken teenage girl who found out the guy she liked was hiding a major secret.


	12. Calling to Say Hello

"Hey mom, I'm going to go over to Uncle Bobby's place and see if they need any help with some cars!" Dean called out into the house. His mother and brother mysteriously disappeared somewhere. He checked the house one more before leaving for his trek down the street. The Winchester house was only a couple blocks away from Bobby's junkyard. It took about twenty minutes for Dean to walk over there. He knocked on the side of the open garage. Dean's father and Bobby looked up.

"Hey Dad… Bobby." Dean walked inside the garage while his dad was underneath a classic beauty. Bobby looked up from the engine and smiled at Dean. "Anything I can help with?" Bobby nodded and threw a greasy rag at Dean.

"Grab that wrench over there." Bobby said, eyeing the wrench on top of a large toolbox. Dean eagerly grabbed it and joined Bobby at the front of the car. John rolled out from beneath the car and sat up.

"Dean, I thought you were still at that camping trip." John wiped his dirty hands on his t-shirt. "Did those clouds out there scare everyone off?" He asked, glancing up at the threatening sky. Dean placed the wrench on a bolt in the engine. He pulled it and looked over at his dad.

"It rained at the campground this morning. I'm surprised it's not here yet." He pulled the wrench again tightening the bolt. Bobby took over and Dean helped his dad off his roller on the ground. He outstretched a hand and Dean lifted John up. "But I'm back and ready to work." Dean took a look at the car and saw that the tires were messed up. "Replacing the struts?" He asked.

Bobby laughed. "Yeah boy, and with some knowledge like that, I'm glad your working here this summer." Bobby clapped Dean on the shoulder and then went back to work on the car. Dean smiled brightly. The praise he got from Bobby was the best feeling, something he was missing from his own father.

"Work him hard, Bobby. I won't have Dean slacking off while Mary, Sam, and I go to Kansas." John gave Dean a stern look. "Right Dean."

"Yes sir." Dean stood straight. His father patted him on the shoulder before moving over to Bobby and assessing the situation with the engine. Dean joined them and soon they were in a full-blown conversation about car parts and engine oil. After a few hours at the garage Dean was covered in grease and grinning from ear to ear at his "uncle" Bobby.

"Come one Dean, were going to be late for dinner, and you know how your mother is." John wiped his hands off one last time before grabbing his truck keys from his pocket and threw them to Dean. "You can drive home." He said gruffly. "I need to see if you're good enough for me to leave the impala."

"W-what!?" Dean almost screeched with joy. "The impala, really?" Dean almost jumped at the chance to drive his dad's truck. He was going to show him that he was worthy of driving the '67. "I won't let you down, sir." Dean then raced to the truck and got into the driver's side. He adjusted the seat for his smaller frame. He stuck the keys in the ignition and revved the engine of the truck. His father got into the truck on the passenger side and rolled his eyes when Dean revved the trucks engine again. "Sorry, Dad." Dean's expression went stern like his fathers. They pulled away from the garage, honking the horn at Bobby and took off down the street back home.

Dean took a small detour to make the trip home a little longer and show off that he was a good driver, good enough for the impala. They drove down the road, driving around the curves and then eventually made it back home. Dean parked on the street as to not scratch the impala in the driveway. He shut off the car and looked at his dad. His dad was silent and contemplating. "So?" Dean was hopeful.

John pursed his lips and then smirked at his eldest son. "Here." He opened his coat and pulled out the keys to the impala. He threw them at Dean. "Now if anything happens to that car-"

"I know, I know." Dean jumped out of the car. He ran his hand across the hood of the impala and smiled. He then ran inside, found his mother, and showed off the keys. John entered slowly behind him. Mary kissed him as a welcome home and silently thanked him for letting Dean have the keys to the impala so that when they were in Kansas, he could go out with friends.

"You can see your new friend, Cas." Mary smiled, ruffling Dean's hair. Dean nodded happily. "And go see Jo, too. Her mother called today-"

Dean's heart sunk. "She did?" He gulped, terrified at what Ellen Harvelle had said to his mother. He wanted to listen to whatever else his mother said, but everything was in slow motion around him. "I-I'm going to go wax the impala." Dean said, somberly walked out the front door towards the car he was going to be driving for the summer.

Dean was just about to finish up waxing the impala when his mother called out the door for him to come in for dinner. The sun was starting to set and Dean's arms were tired from constantly waxing the black surface of the car. He looked up and saw his mother standing there in the doorway. "Give me five minutes! I'll be right in." She nodded and shut the door. Dean stood back from the impala and smiled. He patted the hood and went inside to clean up.

When Dean stepped inside the house he could smell the Italian goodness that waited. He peeked inside the kitchen and his mother was dishing out helpings of homemade Chicken Parmesan. "Go wash up, you still have grease all over." Mary laughed shooing Dean away from the kitchen. "I won't let Sam eat it all, we'll wait." Dean smiled. He looked down at the keys in his grasp. When he graduated, he thought summer would be a complete drag with people talking about college and going on campus visits, but he was wrong. He made new friends, met Cas, and just got the keys to the impala. It was the best summer by far.

As Dean was in the bathroom washing up just enough for dinner, he wiped away the grease on his palm and saw the faded numbers. "I really need to get a cell phone." Dean grumbled and then planned on calling Castiel after dinner. He walked from the bathroom on the first floor and his family was sitting at the table, waiting for him.

"Come and eat, honey." Mary motioned Dean over to the table. Dean's seat was open like always and he sat down. There was a large plate of food before him and he dove right in. John discussed the new parts he put on one of the cars at bobby's garage. Dean proudly showed off the keys to the impala to Sam. Sam rolled his eyes and asked for a second helping of food.

When dinner was over, Dean excused himself in a hurry. "I have to call- uh- Jo." Dean lied. He took his plate to the sink and then grabbed the house phone. It was cordless so he took it up to his room. He locked the door behind him and when Sam came upstairs and tried to get in, he growled and pushed him away. "Go away, Sam, I'm calling someone."

Sam groaned and kicked the door. The Winchester brother's wished that they had separate rooms, but their house was just too small. Though, Dean didn't have o worry about it much longer. He only had another week with his family and then he would have the house to himself for the rest of the summer until his family came back from Kansas. He would have his own room there.

Dean held the house phone in his hand and stared at the numbers. He sat down on his bed, and then leaned over to his desk to pick up the scrap paper with Castiel's number. He dialed each number carefully and put the phone to his ear. The phone rang three times before Castiel answered.

_"Dean?"_

"Hey, Cas." Dean smiled into the phone and lied back on his bed. He kicked his shoes off to the floor. "Well, I'm calling." Dean blew out a shaky breath. "Glad to be home?" he asked.

_"Not really, Michael was gone for a little while earlier, but he's back. I just sort of went to the guest room."_

"I wish I was there with you, give that guy a piece of my mind, or maybe give you a piece of my body." Dean smirked, laying on the moves. "That was cheesy." He laughed. "But I got the car for the summer, so pick a day and we will chill, go to dinner or something."

"_Like a date?" _Castiel sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, a date." Dean smiled into the phone, imagining Castiel's scruff brushing against the speaker. "And I can kiss you." Dean chuckled. "How about Friday? We can go swimming at my place. By that I mean, I can teach you how to swim at my place."

_"Would that be weird with your family? I think your brother noticed something."_

"Sam is a pain, forget about him, besides, my parents and Sam are leaving for Kansas on Thursday. So Friday?" When Castiel obliged to the invite for Friday, Dean sighed with relief into the phone. "I'm going to go to the store too, and try and get a cellphone."

_"So we can text whenever we want?" _

Dean smiled into the phone again. All he wanted to do was drive over to Castiel's house and take him right then and there. "Yeah we can text all the time." They stayed on the phone for the next two hours. Sam kept knocking on the door and yelling out at Dean to let him in the room. Dean finally gave in and started to say goodbye to Castiel. "I have to go. Sam is being a pain again." Dean got up from his bed. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" Castiel agreed again. "Uh- L-love you." Dean bit his lip. "Okay, see you." Dean hung up the phone and hit his forehead on the wall. "Shit, dropped the L-bomb." Dean groaned and went to unlock the door. He opened it up and Sam fell forward, glass cup in hand.

"D-dean!" Sam said nervously, hiding the cup. "Finally you opened the door!"

"You little shit! We're you listening to my phone conversation?!" Dean grabbed Sam by his collar. He grabbed the cup from his brother and held onto it tightly.

"Talking to your boyfriend?" Sam mocked. "Love you~" He mimicked Dean's awkward moment on the phone. Dean shook with anger. All he wanted to do was take that glass cup and hit him brother with it. He let go of Sam and shoved him to the ground.

"I'll kill you, you shrimp!" Sam crawled back and was terrified. "Get out of here!" Dean slammed the door in Sam's face and locked it again. He paced around the room before ripping all of his bedding off of his bed and throwing it to the corner. He needed his own room. It was a must.

A little knock came to the door. "Dean?" It was his mother. "Dean, open the door."

Dean didn't want to, but he knew he was going to get yelled at about lashing out at Dean. He opened the door slowly and stood in the way. "What?"

"Dean, I know the age difference is hard and everything, but you and Sam need to get along. He's your brother, Dean." Mary sighed.

"He's a pest."

"Dean!" Mary glared. "You wont have to deal with him for most of the summer. Just hold on a little longer." Mary raised her hand and placed it on Dean's shoulder. "Also, I got you something when you were gone this weekend. I figured it was about time." Mary pulled a box from under her arm and handed it to Dean. He took it and looked at the front. "And you need to call whenever you go somewhere and when you get back." She smiled. "I already put your dad's and my phone number on it."

Dean was speechless when he looked at the cell phone box in his hands. It meant that he didn't have to spend what little money he had to get one. He would have money later on in the summer after Bobby pays him for the work at the garage, but this was just one item off of his list. "Thank you, mom!" Dean lunged forward and hugged his mother. She let him be after that. Dean decided to leave the room and go on a walk. The weather stayed away for the most part of the day and was beginning to clear out. He grabbed a sweatshirt and his new cellphone and made his way down the sidewalk.

The first number he put into his phone was Castiel's. He was going to wait to text him, though. Right then, all he wanted was peace and quiet, well, except for the cars passing down the road. The sidewalks were pretty clear at that time after dinner. Dean was grateful, but when he passed up the Harvelle house, he gulped. Things needed to be said. He needed to talk to Jo.

He nervously walked up tot heir front door and pressed the doorbell. The tone rang out and reverberated in his head. Some steps came up to the door and then it opened. Dean sucked in air quickly and held it in his lungs. "Hello, Ms. Harvelle."

"What are you doing here, Winchester?"

Dean was in over his head.


	13. Solving Some Problems and Starting New

Dean stood dumbfounded before Ellen Harvelle. The scowl on the woman's face shook him to the core.

"M-mrs. Harvelle." Dean said nervously and started to cower underneath Ellen's glare. "Is Jo home?" Ellen raised an eyebrow at Dean and then nodded. She stepped aside and waved Dean into the house. Dean cautiously stepped inside. Ellen swung an arm around him and led him to the kitchen after kicking the door shut with her foot. Dean swallowed hard.

"So Dean." Ellen pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Come on in and sit down." Dean tried to calm himself, but his heart was racing just at the thought of what Jo's mother would do to him. "Jo's just finishing up some stuff in the back yard. She should be right in."

"A-alright." Dean took a seat and blew out a nervous breath. "She left early from camping. I thought I would stop by and-"

Ellen cut him off. "And apologize for making her upset." It wasn't a question. Ellen was demanding Dean's apology to her daughter.

"Yes Ma'am." Dean nodded. Ellen quickly nodded back at him and then looked over her shoulder towards the glass-paneled door that led out to the backyard. Jo was walking towards the house with dirt on her clothes. Dean stood up, pushing his chair back.

Jo opened the backdoor, wiping her dirty hands on her jeans. "Hey mom, I planted those ferns. Was there anything else you wanted me to do-" when she looked up she expected to only see her mother, but when she saw Dean her heart stopped. "D- What are you doing here Winchester?" She asked, a hint of hatred under her voice.

Dean looked from Ellen to Jo and back at Ellen. He was essentially corner between two pissed off women. He gulped. "Jo, can we talk?" He asked. Dean looked over at Ellen who was nodding at her daughter.

"Sure. Whatever." Jo shrugged and left out the back door. If she was going to talk to Dean, she didn't want her mom to be there. Dean followed her outside and closed the door behind him.

"Jo." Dean followed her to the far corner of the yard. There were a pair of lawn chairs set up under a tree. Jo sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know I'm a terrible person for treating you that way this weekend, but I can't say sorry for-"

"Being gay?" Jo raised an eyebrow. Dean stood straight in front of her and tensed up. "Threw that one at me, didn't you? Couldn't say that, ya know, when I first met you?"

"Hey." Dean said defensively. "I don't know what I am. So don't assume that all of this makes sense to me as it does to you." Dean sat down with a grumble. "Okay." Dean crossed his arms like Jo and looked over to her.

Jo's dark eyes were wide. "Dean..." Her voice was calmer and her expression softened. "What goes through your head? Because I know I like, well, liked you. I thought you felt the same, even though you were always with those other girls."

"They didn't mean anything. Something to pass the time before my family moved onto the next state." Dean thought he wasn't going to stay at the same school for long. When he found out he was going to be there until the end and even after that, things changed.

"Same with me?" Jo asked.

"We're just friends. Or we were." Dean frowned. "We kind of messed that up." Dean relaxed as well and leaned back in his chair.

"You sort of did that all on your own." Jo chuckled. Dean grumbled, but after a few passing moments. The two were laughing together. Jo leaned forward in her chair and plucked some grass from the ground. She rolled it into a ball and threw it at Dean. Their smiles faded after the relieving laughter. "I'd say we're friends though. As long as you promise me something."

Dean's mossy green eyes lit up. "Sure, as long as I don't have to kill anyone or rob a bank." Dean leaned over and rested his elbow on the arm of the lawn chair. "What is it?"

"Stick with him if you really do, ya know, love him." There was sadness in Jo's request. "It just feels like he needs someone and you're a great someone. An anyways friend."

"Anyways friend?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

Jo smiled. Though the sadness was still there. "A friend that no matter what happens, they are there for you anyways. You're that kind of guy, Dean. You may not realize it, but you are. Just being here, made me realize that."

Dean took it all in. He sat back in his seat and stared up into the tree. He watched the leaves sway in the breeze. "Thanks, Jo." He clicked his tongue at her and smiled.

After another hour of talking, Ellen walked outside and saw the two laughing with each other. Dean rubbed his knuckle on Jo's head, messing her hair up. They parted and playfully punched each other. Ellen broke it up by handing Jo her open cellphone. "Charlie's on the phone."

Jo took the phone and pressed it to her ear. She chatted with Charlie and Ellen nodded with approval at Dean. Everything was finally okay and that made Dean feel great. He still wanted to make it up to Jo somehow so he interrupted her call for a moment. "I'm having Cas over for swimming on Friday if you want to come over too. I can invite Gabriel too and maybe Charlie wants to drive over?"

Jo's eyes widened and she got a great idea. "Hey Charlie. Dean is going to have a small swim party on Friday. How about you sleep over then?"

"Sounds awesome! I'll ask Chuck for the day off.

Jo nodded at Dean and then said goodbye to Charlie. She hung up and pockets her phone. "Friday sounds like a plan." She grinned.

"I'll give you my number." Dean said, surprising Jo that he had gotten a cell phone. He searched his contacts, knowing that his number was in there somewhere. "Haven't memorized it yet." They exchanged numbers and then Dean had to excuse himself. It was getting late and Dean wanted to text Castiel. "I'll see you later." Dean said, waving from the front door and heading down the street back to his own house.

He passed up the impala and smiled. "Hey, Baby." Dean said affectionately to his car for the summer. He took his dirty shoes off once he stepped inside and saw his mom and dad going over some papers on the kitchen table. "Sorry I'm so late."

John frowned, but Mary just nodded politely. "Have a nice walk?" She asked. Dean nodded quickly before sticking his head into the laundry room. He forgot his clothes in the dryer and wondered if they were still there. "In your room already. I left them in the basket for you to fold."

Dean groaned. He hated folding his laundry, but at least it have him something to do. He dragged himself upstairs and into his room where Sam was lying down on his own bed and playing a video game. Dean glared, but Sam just shrugged at him.

"Done being a pest?" Sam stayed silent. "Fine. Don't talk to me." Dean rolled his eyes at his brother and peered over. "Playing Zelda?"

Sam looked up from his game. "Yeah." He resumed playing and mashed buttons.

"I have a friend who can give you mad cheats." Dean boasted. Sam looked up wide-eyed. "I'll see what she can give up." Sam silently shouted yes to himself and lied back down to play his game. Dean was about to take a seat on his bed, but he pulled his collar and sniffed instead. "Yeah, shower time." Sam sniffed the air mockingly. Dean picked up his pillow and threw it at his brother before leaving the room for the bathroom.

Dean closed the bathroom door and locked it behind him. He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and placed it on the sink top. He then pulled his dirty clothes off and shoved them down the laundry shoot. Even then, when Dean was reaching nineteen years old, he still thought it was the coolest thing ever. He turned the shower on and while he waited for the water to heat up, he checked his phone. It wasn't so late that Castiel would be asleep, so Dean shot him a text.

_Hey, my mom surprised me with a phone. Now we can talk whenever. DW_. Dean waited a few minutes, steam filled the bathroom, but there was no response from Castiel and Dean was itching for a shower. He jumped in and lathered up with some soap. The suds felt good on his tired body. He ran a hand over himself and cleaned up. Then his phone buzzed. Dean popped his head out of the shower and wiped his hand off quickly with a towel. He grabbed his phone and checked his messages.

From 'Cas'

_Hello Dean. I'm glad you have your own phone. This will be much easier. What are you up too? ~Angel~_

Dean smiled at Castiel's signature. It was cute and all too fitting for his name. Dean quickly texted back._ Showering. You? DW_. He resumed showering for the next fifteen minutes, temporarily ignoring the buzzing coming from his phone while the water washed over him. When he was done and all clean he turned the shower off and stepped out. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face before drying off the rest of his body and wrapping the towel around his waist. He picked up his phone again and smiled.

From 'Cas'

_I just took a shower myself. ~Angel~_ Castiel had sent another message right after. _The warm water was soothing. I have your mark all over. ~Angel~_

Dean smirked, though he felt bad that Castiel was in pain because of him. He typed quickly. _Sorry. DW_.

His phone buzzed again.

From 'Cas'

_It is pleasing. Much like your body was. ~Angel~_

Dean smirked proudly at his phone before setting it down and running his fingers through his wet hair. He wiped the condensation from the mirror in front of him and watched himself in the mirror. His body was pretty fit. He was toned in all the right places and had a perfect muscular V that led to the family jewels. He picked up his phone and found the camera setting. Wiping the mirror clean again, Dean snapped a picture of himself with the towel wrapped around his waist. He sent it to Castiel.

Soon a reply came.

From 'Cas'

_Why a towel? Are we not at that stage yet? ~Angel~_

Dean stripped from his towel and snapped another picture. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip before pressing send and waiting for Castiel's response. Sure he had sent nude pictures like that to girls, but everything with Castiel was new. The response came back within minutes. Painfully slow according to Dean.

From 'Cas'

_:) ~Angel~_

The emoticon made Dean grin. He looked in the mirror once more and then wrapped the towel around himself and left the bathroom, phone in hand. He entered his room and grabbed his clothes right away, a pair of basketball short, his boxers and a T-shirt. Sam had left the room while he was in the bathroom, so Dean could change freely. He pulled his clothes on and then sprawled out on his bed.

_Like what you see? DW_.

_It is a shame I have to wait until Friday to see you. ~Angel~_

Dean frowned. It ached in his heart that he had to wait the majority of the week to see Castiel. He would love to have him over for dinner and experience his mom's cooking, but then Sam would pester him again about how abnormal is was between him and Castiel, which would lead to his parents finding out that their thought-to-be straight son was a little askew from the straight path. So Dean had to wait until they were gone. At least he had a week worth of work from Bobby to keep him occupied.

_We are still having our date on Friday? ~Angel~_

Dean realized he had momentarily forgotten to text back, leaving Castiel worried. _Yeah, but the swimming portion will have a few extras. You can ask Gabriel if he wants to come along. I invited Jo and Charlie. DW._

Dean bit his lip, wondering if that was okay with Castiel if people joined in. He never asked, just sort of went for it.

From 'Cas'

_Dinner, just me and you though? ~Angel~_

_Of course, and you can stay over. If you would like? DW._

Dean hoped the answer was yes. He turned on his side on his bed, sleep creeping up on him. Sam soon walked in, kicking Dean basket of clothing as he walked to his side of the room.

"Mom said that you have to fold your laundry and not let it wrinkle." He plopped down on his bed. "She knows you won't fold anything when we leave and your here by yourself."

"Ah, shut up." Dean scowled. He sat up and reached for his basket and grabbed some clothing. They had already wrinkled, but he could care less. He checked his phone and Castiel hadn't replied yet. He set it down on his bed while he folded his clothes and put them away in his dresser. He hung some shirts and placed them in the closet. When his basket was empty, he checked his phone again. Still no reply. Dean sighed and just placed it on his nightstand, plugged in to charge, and crawled into bed.

"Texting your boyfriend?" Sam laughed, pulling his own covers on him and snuggling in for the night. Dean glared and threw a pillow at his brother. Sam dodged it successfully and laughed some more. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Sam, I swear to god I will suffocate you with the next pillow." Dean threatened, grabbing his last pillow to make it more realistic in his brother's eyes. Sam yelped and hit under his blanket. Then Dean heard his phone buzz. He grabbed his phone quickly and checked it.

From 'Jo'

_Hey, Dean! Want me to bring anything Friday? Food wise? *HunterGirl*_

Dean sighed. Although he was now on good terms with Jo, he wished it were Castiel on the other end. He checked for other missed messages before replying to Jo. _You make that awesome buffalo chicken dip, right? DW._ His mouth watered at the thought. Jo promised to bring some that Friday. _Thanks, Jo! DW. _

When he wasn't receiving any more texts from anyone but Castiel, he got worried that he wasn't responding as quickly as he did before. He frowned at his phone, then is finally buzzed.

From 'Cas'

_Dean can you come get me? ~Angel~ _

Dean looked at his phone with a confused look on his face. He was going to ask why, but his phone started to ring. Sam popped his head out form underneath his blanket. "Dean, shut that thing off. It's annoying." He groaned, rubbing his tired eyes. Dean didn't recognize the number, but he answered it anyways.

"Dean?" Dean got up from his bed quickly. He grabbed a sweatshirt from his closet and pulled it on, making sure to keep his ear close to his phone.

"Gabe, what's going on?" Dean found the impala's keys on his desk and grabbed them. "What's wrong with Cas?" Dean could hear shouting in the background.

"Michael's at it again. Another family feud over stupid shit.." Gabriel said in a harsh tone. Castiel said he didn't want to go anywhere with me, he wants you. But it's late-"

"I'm coming." Dean slipped his shoes on and walked out of the room. "What's your address?" Gabriel gave him the address and then ended the call. Dean quickly went down the stairs and his parents were still sitting at the kitchen table.

"Where are you going?" John asked gruffly. He saw that Dean had the impala keys in his hands. "I didn't give you those keys so you could just go out all the time." John stood up from the table. Mary eyed him wearily and then looked at Dean.

"I need to go pick up a friend. He's having family troubles." Dean said quickly. He paced back and forth eagerly. The shouting he heard in the background at Gabriel and Castiel's house was started to get to him.

"Are you his family?" John asked.

"No, sir." Dean answered right away.

"Then sit down. You're not going anywhere." Dean's heart sank, but he couldn't say no to his father. His mom wasn't saying anything either, which meant she agreed with him. Dean dropped the car keys on the table and sat down with his parents. "Call that friend and say you can't come." John ordered, eyeing Dean's cellphone. "It's late and you have work tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Dean lowered his head. He called Gabriel back and explained the situation. "I can't come. It's too late." The yelling was still going on the background. "Tell Cas… I'll see him later." Dean felt horrible, but there was nothing he could do. His father and mother kept an eye on him. He handed them the keys to the impala regretfully.

"Dean can't make it, Cas." Gabriel said as he rushed his brother back to the guest room and locked the door behind him. "Cas, come one. You're bleeding." Gabriel hooked arms with Castiel and pulled him to the en suite bathroom. "Sit." Gabriel pushed Castiel to sit on the toilet and inspected his face. He lightly touched around Castiel's eye.

Castiel hissed. "Dean's parents won't let him come here?" He asked, cringing when Gabriel pressed a wet towel on his swelling face. Gabriel shook his head. He dabbed away the blood from the cut above Castiel's brow.

"Man, Mike clocked you a good one." Gabriel washed the blood from the towel in the sink. "I'll be right back." He left the bathroom and then the room. Castiel stood up and checked his face out in the mirror. The cut above his brow was small, but he figured the cut on Michael's knuckles was a lot worse. He pushed on his red skin and sighed. He then attended his own knuckles. They were cut up from the hit he landed right back at Michael's face. Although he was in pain, Castiel grabbed his phone and quickly texted Dean.

_Thanks for trying. I'm okay. ~Angel~ _


	14. This Week Has Been Hell

Dean's parents kept the keys to the impala. John pocketed them and Dean wasn't expecting to have them back any time soon. He sat silently at the table until his parents waved him off. Mary wished him a good night and kissed him on the forehead. Dean stood up and started to walk away, but his father stopped him.

"Dean."

"Yes, sir?" Dean answered back, raising his eyebrows. His father gave him a small smile and patted him on the side of his arm.

"You're a good kid wanting to help your friend, just ask next time." John patted Dean once more and then let him go on back to his room. He looked back at Mary once Dean was up the stairs and sighed. "He's been acting strange."

"John, he just graduated. Things are changing for him." Mary stood up, gathering the papers she and John were looking at. She stacked them and placed them on top of the fridge. She walked back to John and kissed him tenderly. "Let's go to bed." John smiled sadly at his wife and followed her to their bedroom for the night.

Dean stared at the text message on his phone for at least an hour after crawling into bed. The room was dark and Sam was already asleep. i _Thanks for trying. I'm okay. ~Angel~ /i _Dean thought about texting back, but he couldn't find it in his heart. He felt like he let Castiel down. So instead of texting Cas back, he comfortably situated himself in his bed, plugged his phone in to charge and then closed his eyes.

Castiel lied in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He held a half melted bag of ice to his eye. Gabriel had brought it to him before leaving the room to go deal with the commotion downstairs. Castiel sighed and set the bag of, well, just water on his nightstand. He tenderly pressed down on his bruised skin before checking his phone to see if Dean ever replied, which he never did. He got up from his bed and discarded his bag of melted ice. He returned to his bed, checked his phone once more, before digging deeper into his bedding and falling asleep.

The rest of the week moved on slowly. Dean called Castiel the next morning and explained how things went down. Castiel also explained his things on his end. They waited the week out to be with each other, when finally, after a week of working at Bobby's, Dean's parents and brother were getting ready to leave for Kansas. It was Thursday afternoon when John gave Dean the keys to the impala.

"Thanks, dad." Dean beamed. John patted him on the shoulder and told him to stay out of trouble. He also handed him some extra money for emergencies. Dean accepted it graciously. "How long are you guys going to be gone for again?"

"Three weeks, honey. " Mary said while carrying a bag out to the large black truck in the driveway. John followed her out with more bags for their Kansas vacation. They came back into the house once everything was packed away in the car and they were ready to leave. "So, I have all the numbers you may need written down and put on the fridge. I stocked you up on some food, but I'll leave you the credit card so you can get groceries later on. Um- Bobby will stop by every once in a while and check on the house. You have his number- so-"

"Mom, I'll be fine." Dean assured her and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't miss a single day of work, Dean. Bobby needs you over there." John interjected. He handed Dean his credit car out of his wallet. "And this is just for groceries. Gas and anything else you want is on you. Got that?"

"Yes, sir." Dean nodded, taking the card and placing it in his own wallet along with some of the extra money his father had given him minutes before. Dean's mother came forward and hugged him tightly. "Love you, mom." Dean smiled into her blonde hair.

"Love you too, honey. Be good." She pecked him on the cheek and then stood back. John patted Dean on the shoulder as his sort-of-goodbye hug replacement. Then Dean looked over at Sam who was already at the door, waiting for his parents to hurry up.

"See you, Sammy." Dean saluted. Sam stiffened straight and saluted back. He then laughed and walked over to Dean. He raised his arms and the brothers embraced. Dean picked Sam up slightly and then placed him back down. "I'll see you guys in three weeks." Dean ruffled Sam's hair. He may have thought that Sam was an annoying little brother, but Sam was his brother and he would always love him to death.

"Alright, Dean. We will check in when we can." Mary kissed Dean's cheek once more before leaving out the door, John and Sam in tow. Dean stood in the doorway and waved his parents and brother off. Once they left, he closed the door and sighed with relief. He pulled his phone out and checked his messages. There was one from Castiel.

From 'Cas'

_I am excited for tomorrow. ~Angel~_

Dean smiled at his phone and then pressed down keys to respond. i_ How about I come and get you now? Bobby gave me an extra day for the weekend and I don't see why we can't spend time with each other a little sooner than tomorrow. DW. /i _Dean jingled he impala's keys in his hand and waited for Castiel's response.

_Please do. ~Angel~_

With that, Dean was out the door, locking it behind him. He had gotten Castiel's address from the week before when Gabriel called and asked him to come get Castiel if he could. Dean hopped into the Impala, stuck the key into the ignition and revved the engine down the street to the Novak household. He drove past the center of town and entered the "richer" district. The houses were larger and lawns clean kept. He checked the address once more before slowing to a stop in front of a large home with a long driveway. "Man, would I kill to live here." Dean gawked at the size of the house. It was a two story, white house with tall columns in the front that held up a second floor porch. Dean pulled into the driveway and parked just before the house.

He got out and walked to the front door. There was a button for him to ring, so he pushed it and then waited. Inside he could hear people moving about. Someone came to the door, looked out the side window to see who was outside, and then opened the door. It was a girl, with vibrant red hair and dark eyes. She looked up at Dean and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" She asked, resting a hand on her hip.

"Uh, is Cas- I mean Castiel, here?" Dean peaked into the house just behind the red head. He saw a tall, wavy-haired guy talking with an older man, and then an equally aged woman walking past with a small dog in her arms.

"What do you want with my brother?" The red head asked. She turned and looked around. "I think he's in his room, always is. Here, come in. What's you're name?"

"Dean. Dean Winchester. I'm- er- I'm Cas' friend." Dean felt bad for wearing his dirty boots into the house, but no one ever said anything, so he assumed he was fine. The red head lead him into the house and then waited by the stairs. "I came by to pick him up. We're going to hang out." Dean stood and admired the house while the red head made her way up the stairs and then called out for her brother.

"I'm Anna, by the way. Second oldest." When she didn't get an answer from Castiel, she left down the hall upstairs and disappeared. Dean stood awkwardly at he bottom on the stairs. He blew out a nervous breath and then started to whistle. His whistle echoed down the hall and then out of nowhere, someone came up behind him and poked in his sides. Dean yelped and jumped forward, almost tripping on the first step and falling over. He balanced himself and turned around quickly.

"Gabe! What the hell, man?!" Dean glared. He rubbed his sides and grumbled.

"You looked stiff." Gabriel chuckled. Gabriel looked up the stairs and saw his sister. "I see you've met Anna. She just came back from her trip to Europe." Gabriel mentioned, seeing as Dean had only ever heard of Michael. Now there was a sister thrown into the mix. Trailing behind Anna was Castiel. He kept his head down, but when he looked up for a small moment he saw Dean and then they kept eye contact until Castiel was down the stairs and in Dean's arms.

"Friend?" Anna raised an eyebrow. She eyed Gabriel who winked at here. "I'll just be in the living room." Anna rubbed her hand on Castiel's shoulder before leaving them. Gabriel smiled at the two and left them as well. He went to the kitchen and started talking with the two other men.

Castiel stayed in Dean's arms for what seemed like forever. They pulled away from each other and Dean inspected Castiel's face. He could see that there was a dark bruise previously, but it was light and yellow now. The cut above Castiel's eye was healing nicely. Dean ran his thumb over the scabbed area and frowned. "You don't hurt anymore, right?"

"I am okay." Castiel took Dean's hand in his and led him up the stairs. They walked past several rooms. One of which Dean saw was a large office space, something like he had only seen in movies. Castiel pulled him until they stopped in front of the guest room. "I just have to get a few things." Castiel opened the door to the room and walked inside, Dean followed. Dean had expected Castiel to have a neat and orderly room because he just seemed like that type of guy, but Dean was woefully mistaken. "Sorry about the mess." Castiel apologized, pushing clothes with feet. He leaned over and picked up some things and stacked them on his dresser.

"No problem. You're a dude, messes happen." Dean shrugged. He looked around the room for a place to sit, and saw that under a mound of blankets and pillows was actually a bed. He pushed some of the bedding aside and took a seat. He watched as Castiel searched around his room and put things into a bag. "Don't forget your swim trunks, if you have any."

"I don't." Castiel said. "I have never had a need for them." Castiel disappeared into his en suite bathroom. He rummaged through his drawers and found a toothbrush and some toothpaste. He opened the bottom most drawer and pulled out a small bottle. A small smile crossed his lips as he placed the bottle into his bag. "Dean…?" Castiel stepped out of the bathroom. "Do you think I can stay… the whole weekend?"

Dean sat up straight and thought about it. He wouldn't have to ask his parents, they wouldn't know about it, or care very much if they found out. "Sounds like a plan." Dean winked at Castiel. "Better pack more clothes then." Dean watched as Castiel packed more things for the full weekend. "I take it you want to get away from here for a while?"

"This week has been hell." Castiel suddenly said, zipping his bag up with the rest of his things for the weekend. "Michael has been especially-" a harsh pounding on his door cut off Castiel. Castiel looked at Dean and then the door. "Excuse me." He cautiously walked over to his door and opened it slowly. Castiel stood back, rigid. Dean tried to see who was there, but couldn't get a good look past Castiel.

"Hey, Father needs you. So tell that boyfriend of yours to leave." Dean heard the rough voice boss Castiel around. He stood up and got a better view of the guy. He was tall, towering over Castiel even though he was six foot. Which made the guy a giant. He also had bright eyes like Gabriel, but darker hair that curled at the ends. His face was also yellowed from an old bruise that Castiel had given him. Dean thought about who he could be and then figured that the rude one in the family must have been Michael.

"I'm here to pick him up. He's packing. So when I'm not leaving until he's ready to go." Dean placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder. Castiel quickly glanced back at him. He then looked back at Michael. Michael's face was lighting up red.

"Was I talking to you?" Michael asked. His temper was rising. Castiel nervously took a step back. The last time Michael lost his temper he snapped at Castiel and they ended up beating each other up. Dean wasn't going to have that happen again. He saw Michael advance and he pulled Castiel behind him, standing between the two.

"You're lucky this is your home and I have common courtesy, because I want to clock you one so bad." Dean clenched his fists showing Michael that he wasn't kidding. Michael stepped back and blew out a deep breath from his nose, nostrils flaring.

"Whatever. Just find father, Castiel. He needs something of you." With that Michael left the room and then tension eased up. Dean looked behind himself to Castiel who was letting out a shaky breath. He picked up his full duffle bag.

"I'm ready. Thank you." Castiel said quickly before stepping out of the room. Dean followed his quickly, shutting the bedroom door behind him. The made their way back down the hall and Castiel stopped at the large office space that Dean was in awe about. Sitting inside, behind a desk was an older man that Dean had seen earlier in the kitchen talking to Michael. "Father?" Castiel called to the man, setting his bag down just outside the room. He walked in, leaving Dean at the doorway, and stood before the large desk. "Michael said you needed me?"

"Yes." Castiel's father looked up from some papers he was going over. He took his glasses off his face. "Where are you off to?" He asked. He glanced over to the doorway and saw Dean standing there. "Come in, boy." He waved Dean in. Dean quickly obliged and stepped into the room and stood beside Castiel.

"Dean Winchester, sir." Dean leaned forward, offering his hand to Castiel's father. The older man shook his hand and nodded with approval. "If it's alright with you, sir, Cas wanted to come stay the weekend at my house." Dean stood straight, almost military like.

Castiel gave Dean a bewildered look, as did his father. "Well at least you don't sound like a queer." Castiel's father suddenly said. He picked up his papers and resumed his work. "Go on and leave, Castiel." He waved them away and Castiel calmly left the room. Dean continued to stay standing in front of Mr. Novak. "Yes, Dean?" He looked up and Dean had a displeased look. "What is it?"

"Sir, with all due respect, and I say that very lightly." Dean lost all of his respect for the man sitting in front of him after he called him a queer. "My parents raised me right, and I know that you, sir, are not setting a good example in front of your family." Dean stepped forward, causing Mr. Novak to sit back in his seat and glare up at the young Winchester boy.

"Boy, what would you know?" Mr. Novak stood up from his seat, yet Dean still had the upper hand by flustering the old man. Dean glanced over to Castiel whose baby blue eyes were wide with fright. He was shaking his head at Dean and tried to tell him to just get out of there quick.

Dean cleared his throat. "I know that Cas," Dean pointed to him in the doorway. "Him, right there. I'm pretty sure that I love him ten times more than you ever have, and that's coming from a i _queer_. /i Now have a good day, sir. " With that, Dean turned and left the room, grabbing Castiel's arm with one hand and the duffle bag in his other hand. He was fed up with Castiel's family. They left down the grand staircase and then out the door. Castiel struggled in his grasp until they got to the impala.

"Dean." Castiel stumbled, standing at the passenger side of the impala.

Dean climbed into the black classic car and slammed the door. He threw Castiel's duffle bag into the back seat. "Cas, just get in the car." Castiel nodded and slid into the passenger seat of the impala. He shut the door, the hinges squeaked. Dean revved the engine and then sped out of the driveway. He was down the road in minutes, passing the center of town. "I don't understand why you live there." Dean grumbled, jumping the impala over some railroad tracks.

"My mother says I need to stay in touch with all of my family, not just Gabriel." Castiel flipped his phone open and texted his brother, apologizing for what happened. "But thank you for letting me stay for the weekend."

"No problem." Dean turned the corner onto his street. Castiel lit up when Dean's house came into view. It definitely felt more like a home there than it did at his father house. "I may have made things worse, though." Dean admitted.

Castiel shook his head. "No." Dean looked over once he turned into his driveway and put the impala into park. "My father was always displeased with my…lifestyle. What he said was uncalled for and rude. He has always seen me as a disappointment. I am glad you told him off." A small smile crept onto Castiel's lips. "And Dean…." The air in the impala suddenly deepened, as Castiel got serious.

"Yeah Cas?"

"Did you mean what you said?" Castiel asked referring to Dean's ten times more deal. "You love me?"

Dean's heart stopped. He had forgotten he had said that. It slipped his mind because he had blurted it out of nowhere. _I love him ten time more than you ever have. _Dean pursed his lips and looked over at Castiel sitting in the passenger seat, waiting for a response. "I-" Dean leaned over to Cas and took Castiel's face in his hands. "Like I said, ten times more." Dean kissed Castiel lightly and smiled. He then pulled back, grabbed Castiel's duffle bag from the backseat and got out of the car. Castiel followed, touching his fingers to his lips.

Ten times more.


	15. We Can Do That

Dean unlocked his front door to his house and let Castiel inside. He set Castiel's bag down just by the door. Castel stepped inside the house and breathed in deeply. He looked around and it looked just the same as when he stopped by a week earlier, only cleaner. Dean picked up Castiel's bag and then thought about where he could sleep. "Uh, I can show you around." Dean said, offering his hand. Castiel took it and was led around the house. "As you can see, my house isn't as big as yours."

"It's better smaller. Reminds me of my mother's house." Castiel glanced at the pictures on the walls of Dean and his family. There were some awkward little kid photos of Dean with a dorky blonde, bowl cut. Castiel smiled and Dean blushed. "This is entertaining." Castiel said as Dean hurried him past the embarrassing family photos.

"Yeah, yeah." Dean blushed red. "Ugh, you know the kitchen and stuff, and the living room is just past the dining room that no one uses." Dean then got to the stairs and looked up at the second landing. "The bathroom is down this hall." He said, pointing past the kitchen. "And basically everything else is upstairs." Dean took a step up the stairs and then looked down at Castiel. "I can show you my room and stuff. I was thinking you could sleep in Sam's bed. We only have twins. So that's a bummer." Dean led Castiel up the stairs and then stopped by his room. They walked inside and Castiel was instantly jealous at Dean's organizational skills.

"I would have expected you to have a room like mine." Castiel admitted. "But you are very clean and orderly." Castiel walked around the room and noticed the difference between Dean's side of the room and Sam's. He sat down on Dean's bed and thought what it was like to sleep there night after night in Dean's arms.

"My dad was in the military. I guess it just rubbed off." Dean shrugged and then moved some things on Sam's side. "These twins suck. I really want my own room too, but this house is too small."

"Like I said, It's homey." Castiel swung his legs forward and got up from the bed. "I like it."

"Call it your home away from home." Dean winked and then left the room. He called out from the hallway. "There's another bathroom here, with a shower and everything, and my parent room is down the hall." Castiel peaked into the room. It wasn't anything special. "That's sort of it, other than the backyard, which we will be hanging out in tomorrow." Dean led Castiel back down the stairs and then walked over to the kitchen. Castiel watched as Dean opened the fridge. "Are you hungry or anything?" Dean called out from the kitchen. He pulled some things from the fridge to make sandwiches. Castiel walked into the kitchen and helped out. Once things were made, they sat down at the table and ate quietly. Dean shoved the last of his sandwich into his mouth and swallowed. "So what do you want to do tonight?"

Castiel chewed quietly. He thought of things that he and Dean could do and then his face reddened. "I-I'm not sure." He set down the last bit of his food on his plate. He looked up at Dean who was wide-eyed and starting to chuckle. "What?" Castiel asked defensively.

"We can do that." Dean smirked, leaning back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest and bit his lower lip. Castiel sat straight against the back of his seat. His face proceeded to light up red. He tensed when Dean got up from his seat and moved over to him. He leaned down and kissed Castiel's forehead, nose, and then finally his lips. "But, I only have a twin bed." Dean frowned and sat back on the edge of the table in front of Castiel.

"Do you have a pull out couch?" Castiel asked, giving in to his urges. He looked at the living room and saw that there were a lot of windows, but they had thick curtains that could be drawn over them to keep the neighbor's sanity in tact. Dean jumped up from the table and ran to the living room. Castiel could see that he was already hot and bothered from the thought of sex. He let out a soft chuckle and walked to the living room calmly. Dean pulled the cushion up from the couch and smiled brightly.

"I forgot we had one of these! I don't think we've ever used it since we bought it for this house. Our old house didn't have room for this extra couch." Dean pushed the coffee table back and removed the cushions from the couch. He pulled at the metal framework of the pullout bed. It smoothly glided out and unfolded. Dean sat on it, checking it's cushioning. He then looked up at Castiel. "I guess this solves the twin bed problem." Dean smirked and pulled Castiel down beside him on the mattress. He climbed over him and smashed his lips on the dark haired boy's lips. Castiel pulled back and stared at the very open windows. "What?" Dean breathed, kissing Castiel's neck and collarbone.

"I don't want to frighten your neighbors." Castiel said. He pushed Dean back and got up from the pull out. Dean stumbled back and started laughing. Castiel looked back at him and then looked at the bed. "Also, sheets are a necessity." He eyed the uncovered mattress and Dean jumped on the task. He ran up the stairs towards the linen closet and pulled some sheets and then stopped by his room and grabbed the blankets off of his bed. He ran down the stairs, almost tripping on the last step.

When Dean entered the living room, it was dark from the curtains being drawn over the large windows. Castiel was resting against the back of the couch, waiting for Dean. He fumbled with the small bottle in his hands. Dean walked up in front of him and took the bottle from his hands. He read the label and smirked. "I guess this works better than my saliva." He set the bottle of lube down on the side table next to the couch and grabbed onto Castiel's hips. He pushed up at Castiel's shirt while rubbing circles with his thumbs over Castiel's hipbones.

"Dean- The sheets." Castiel breathed, pushing back on Dean once more. "I don't think your mother would appreciate a dirty couch." Castiel slid away from Dean and started to place the sheets on the pullout bed. Dean stood there, staring down at himself. He was getting to be hard, but Castiel went and mentioned his mother.

"You had to mention the M word, didn't you, Cas?" Dean grumbled and gave in. He helped Castiel with the sheets and then threw the blankets onto the bed.

"Oh, sorry." Castiel looked Dean up and down and saw that he was no longer aroused. "I have an idea of how to pass the time." Castiel said, opening he curtains in the living room and letting light flood the room. "Others are coming over tomorrow to swim, correct?" Castiel looked out the living room windows and saw the above ground pool with a small deck in the backyard.

"Yeah. I'm going to teach you how to swim, and we can party with the other when they get here later tomorrow. Jo's bringing this buffalo chicken dip stuff she makes. It's as good as apple pie." Dean's mouth watered at the thought. "So what's your idea for passing the time? Since you mention my mother…." Dean sighed.

"Can we start swim lessons early? I don't think I will do well tomorrow with everyone around." Castiel looked from Dean to the pool in the backyard. His heart pounded at the thought of swimming. His last experience with water didn't go over too well, but Dean was there to save him then, he would be there the next time anything happened.

"I can grab you a pair of swim trunks." Dean jumped on board. It was still light outside and the pool was clean, so why not use it? "You said you didn't have a pair?" Dean asked, taking Castiel's hand and led him back up to his room so he could pick out a pair of trunks. Dean pulled the pair he was going to wear out of the top drawer of his dresser. He left it open for Castiel. "Any pair that fits you is okay with me." Dean offered.

As Dean stripped down and put his trunks on, Castiel searched the drawer and found a pair he liked. He pulled them out and proceeded to change into them. He was a little nervous to change into them because the thought of water made it hard for him to breath. "Good?" He asked, raising his eyebrows as Dean admired Castiel in the swimming trunks.

"Great." They left their clothes on Dean's floor and then left for the backyard. Outside there was a small stone pathway leading to the raised deck and above ground pool. There was a lovely flower garden off in the corner of the yard that Castiel believed to be Dean's mother's garden. Castiel quickly went over to the garden and picked a flower to sniff. It smelled fantastic. He then jogged back over to the deck and Dean.

"You're mother has a talent." Castiel said, setting the petite flower on the pool deck. "Please remember to water them occasionally." Castiel ascended the steps to the pool with Dean right behind him. When he got to the top of desk, he froze. Dean held onto him and calmly sat him down on one of the lawn chairs on the deck.

"Just sit here while I take the cover off." Castiel listened to Dean's words and took a step. He nervously jumped his leg up and down. He watched Dean walk to the other end of the circular pool and start to roll up the blue, bubbled cover. One person could easily roll it up, so Castiel didn't feel all too bad about not helping. Dean calmly walked up to Castiel and took his hands in his own. "The pool isn't deep. Only five foot, so if all else fails, stand up." Dean chuckled and led Castiel to the water's edge. Castiel froze. Dean was the first to climb down the stepladder into the pool. He waded back, creating small ripples of water in the pool. "Come on."

"Dean. I-" Castiel stood back. He bit his lip and stared at Dean in the water. The water was clear and he could see the bottom easily, but he was starting to feel the tugging on his lungs as he tried to catch his breath.

Dean waded back to the ladder and held his arms out for Castiel to step in and come right to him. "Right here." Dean promised. He coaxed Castiel into the water slowly. The blue-eyed boy stepped in, water closing around his skin. He climbed down the small ladder and then Dean caught him in his arms. Castiel's back was against Dean's chest. "Dude, slow your breathing. You're hyperventilating." Dean rubbed Castiel's arms and slowly but surely, Castiel started to breath normally. He felt his feet on the bottom of the pool and sighed with relief. "Like taking a really big, less warm bath." Dean joked. He turned Castiel around so that they were facing each other.

"Dean, don't you dare let me go." It was the first time Castiel had ever ordered anything of Dean. Dean just laughed. "I mean it." Castiel held on dearly to Dean so that even if by chance Dean let him go, he could still have some form of stability in the water. Dean held onto him and pulled him around the pool.

"This is better than I thought it would be." Dean smirked. He took one hand off of Castiel and tried to get the other one away to get Castiel on his own, but Castiel held on tightly. "Cas, I'm trying to teach you." He frowned and put his hands back on Castiel, this time on his hips. "This shallow of a pool doesn't help much, but I can get you on the basics. Like wading around and actually going under water." Dean tried again to get Castiel to let go, but it was useless.

Castiel trembled in the water. He could feel his lungs constricting like they had done in the past. He tried to focus on Dean. He knew he was safe in Dean's care, but the memories of his brother holding him under were something he couldn't shake off. The memories were just personified in the water. "Dean!" Castiel lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Dean's neck. Dean stumbled back and slipped on the bottom of the pool. He was soon falling back into the water, Castiel coming along with him.

Water surrounded them in seconds. Dean quickly stood back up in the pool, finding it hard with all the extra body weight attached to him. He grabbed Castiel by his sides and lifted him above the water, and then he resurfaced. "Cas, what the hell, man." Dean wiped the water from his eyes and then looked at Cas. His eyes were wide like he had just watched someone die. His face was turning blue, and Dean realized that Castiel wasn't letting himself breath. "Shit." He pulled Castiel over to the deck part of the pool and picked him up out of the water and onto the wooden deck. The only thing he could think of what to do was smack some sense into his lover.

Castiel gasped when a hard smack came to the side of his face. He coughed and sputtered some water from his mouth. Dean stood in the water in front of him as he sat at the edge and dangled his feet in the water. He shook his head, feeling droplets of waterfall from his dark locks. "I don't think I want to learn how to swim." Castiel admitted. He pulled his feet out of the water and sat Indian style.

"I think it's best that you stay away from pools, Cas." Dean said, rubbing the back of his head. Dean pulled himself up the side of the pool onto the deck. He sat next to Castiel and leaned against him. "How do you even take showers?" Dean asked, genuinely curious.

"Quickly." Castiel pursed his lips.

"I bet." Dean sighed. He then stood up on the deck, dripping with water. He pulled two towels from the small deck chest and handed one to Castiel who was up on his feet and heading away from the pool. "But…." Dean ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "I think I can help you make showers a little longer." The blush on Castiel's cheeks meant he understood the gesture. "Come on." Dean pulled Castiel off the deck; he made a mental note to get the pool cover later on. The two rain into the house and dropped their towels. Their wet feet left a trail from the back door, through the living room and dining room, up the stairs and into the bathroom. They had lost their swim trunks along the way and resumed what should have been done earlier.

Dean hastily turned the shower on while kissing Castiel sensually. He calmly pulled Castiel to the tub's edge and stepped over. The water was just heating up, but the chill of it soothed their skin. Castiel stepped inside as well and they didn't even bother with the curtain in fear that they would tear it down in the process of their shower together. "Always wanted to do this." Dean said breathily. He panted as he rubbed bodies with Castiel. "Fuck." His cock was already hard and rubbing against Castiel's naked thigh.

"Dean-" Water poured over them as they moved impossibly closer to each other. Dean swirled Castiel around so that his back was against him. He grabbed the conditioner from the shower shelf and squeezed a healthy amount onto his hand. He then traveled his hand around Castiel's hips and grabbed a hold of his cock. He made sure to slick it up well and move in sensual strokes. Castiel moaned and back up into Dean. Dean bucked forward, his cock slapping against Castiel's backside. "Dean, I need you-" Castiel felt the hot water splash on his back, but he was not afraid of it. He was more caught up in the moment than afraid of the terrors that plagued his mind.

"Shit, Cas." Dean stroked Castiel long and hard before bringing his hand to the back of Castiel and running his slick hand down the line of Castiel's ass. With his free hand, Dean grabbed the conditioner again and let the cream flow from the bottle, down Castiel's back and rest between Castiel's rounded flesh. Dean rubbed the conditioner in, making sure to lubricate Castiel well before he took the plunge. He pushed his fingers inside, working Castiel open.

"Dean." Castiel groaned in a stern voice. He pushed back on Dean, wanting everything the Winchester had to offer. Dean pulled his fingers out quickly, slicked his own cock and then shoved deep inside Castiel. The two were stuck in a moment of pure bliss. The water mixed with their own fluids felt unbelievable on their skin. When Castiel moved his hips to get Dean going, Dean broke from the blissful moment and started to move, slow as first. The water was rough on them both, but the conditioner worked perfectly to keep them both comfortable. Dean thrust inside Castiel over and over while Castiel pulled on the shower curtain to keep himself upright. Dean slammed into him, stretching him out and causing immeasurable pleasure. Sparks of ecstasy sped through their bodies until at last, Castiel cried out and shuddered at he released onto the shower wall. Not long after Dean's final thrust, he came inside of Castiel, coating the inner walls of his wet cavern.

Dean pulled out and held Castiel against him. Both sets of legs were trembling from the work out they received. Dean grabbed a bar of soap from the shelf and ran it along Castiel's back. He lathered him up and let the water rinse him off. "That was amazing." Dean let out. He leaned against Castiel and kissed the side of his face. "Fucking amazing."

"Yes." Castiel said, turning and facing Dean. He took the soap from Dean's hand and in return cleaned him up. "I think I like showers now." Castiel shook his head under the water. His dark hair stuck to his forehead and dripped down his face.

"Glad to help." Dean smirked, kissing Castiel once more in the shower water before turning the shower handle and stopping the water. They stood there in each other's arms, water dripping from their skin. "Taking this one step at a time."


	16. Jealousy Has Blue Eyes

Dean rolled over on his side and came face to face with Castiel. They had fallen asleep on the pull out couch and were snuggled close to each other. Dean squinted as some light peaked through the curtains in the living room. He yawned, cracking his jaw in the process and sat up. His hair was spiked out in all directions and his body sore. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before looked down at Castiel and smiling. Castiel stretched and opened his tired eyes. "Mornin' sunshine." Dean rubbed Castiel's head, fluffing his hair all over.

"Mmmmf" Castiel turned and shoved his face into the pillow he had claimed as his own. Dean chuckled and pulled at the pillow. Castiel hugged it tightly, not giving it up to Dean.

"Do you want breakfast?" Dean asked, crawling to the end of the bed and grabbing his phone from the coffee table. He pressed the unlock button to see the time. "Or I should say lunch?" He laughed. Castiel grumbled again, pulling the blanket over top of him tightly. Dean then checked his messages.

From 'Jo'

_Hey what time do you think for today? I made the buffalo chicken dip. =] * HunterGirl *_

Dean pursed his lips and thought about it for a moment. _How about 2? I want to take Cas to dinner later. DW. _He waited a few minutes for Jo's response.

_2 it is! * HunterGirl*_

Dean shut his phone and rolled over to Castiel. "Jo and Charlie are going to be over at two. So you should get a hold of Gabriel." Dean said, poking Castiel in the side. Castiel grumbled before turning towards Dean and yawning. "Finally awake?" Dean smirked.

"No." Castiel lazily sat up and rubbed his neck. "I'm sore." While extending his arms in the air, Castiel stretched his back out and groaned. Dean frowned and rubbed Castiel's back for him. Castiel melted into his touch. "Thank you, Dean."

"Well I caused this, so it's the least I can do." Dean rolled his knuckles down Castiel's spine and felt the muscles underneath loosen. Castiel slumped forward, but when Dean pulled away, to clean up the house before everyone came over, Castiel perked up and grabbed his phone to call his brother.

The tone dialed three times before Castiel got a hold of his brother. "Gabriel." Castiel said into the phone. "Dean is having people over to swim today and wanted to know if you wanted to come over?"

_"Sure thing! What time?"_ Gabriel asked. Castiel ran through his mind thinking of the time Dean had just said it was. "_It's noon now."_ Gabriel reminded his brother who wasn't responding right away.

"Right, Dean said that Jo and Charlie would be over around two o' clock. So then." Castiel got up from the pull out couch and hissed t the pain in his back. Although Dean had rubbed out much of the soreness, there was still a dull ache. "Ask Anna if she would like to come too. I don't think Dean will mind."

_"Will do, see you then."_ Gabriel chuckled into the phone and said his goodbyes. Castiel shut his phone and pocketed it. He walked away from the living room and searched around for Dean in the house. He soon found his boyfriend cleaning some plates in the kitchen.

"Would you like me to help with anything?" Castiel asked, standing next to Dean at the sink. He grabbed the clean, wet plates and a towel and wiped them dry. Dean smiled.

"Thank, uh, that cupboard over there in the corner is where the plates go. Did Gabriel answer?" Dean handed the next plate to Castiel. He then shut the water off to the sink.

"Yes. He is bringing my sister with him as well. You met her briefly at my father's house." Once the last plate was put away, Dean urged Castiel into swim trunks. Castiel knew that he didn't want to try to swim again, but he would wear the trunks to appease Dean. "Dean, can I keep my shirt?" He asked, keeping hold of his plain white T.

"Sure, man." Dean patted Castiel on the shoulder and then left his room, Castiel following quickly behind him. It was nearing one in the afternoon, which meant that Dean and Castiel had some time alone before everyone showed up. They left the house for the backyard and lied out by the pool. Dean jumped in while Castiel sat down silently on the lawn chair by the water's edge. Dean disappeared under the water then rose to the surface, slicking his wet hair back. "Hey, Cas."

Castiel looked up, squinting in the sunlight. "Yes, Dean?"

"What about just putting your feet in?" Dean tapped the side of the pool. "You don't have to get in, but at least you will sort of be in the pool with the rest of us." Dean pulled himself up the side of the pool and sat on the edge. He let his legs sway in the water. "Not bad? I'll make sure no one pushes you in."

Castiel thought about it and was iffy about the idea. Though seeing Dean sitting there and trying to get him to open up about the idea of water motivated Castiel to try. He stood up from the law chair and stepped to the edge of the pool. Dean raised his hand and Castiel grabbed it, sitting down next to Dean cautiously and placing his legs into the water. "This- This is okay." Castiel moved his legs and watched them create ripples in the water. "I can do this much." Castiel looked up at Dean who was smiling at him brilliantly.

"You have some really cool, blue eyes." Dean said out loud. "Almost match the water, only a little darker." Dean rubbed his thumb over top of Castiel's hand. Small droplets of water dripping from his fingers and trickled onto Castiel's skin. While still staring into Castiel's deep blue eyes, Dean leaned forward and kissed him. Castiel kissed back and they parted feeling more like a couple than they had ever felt before.

Their concentration on each other was broken when the fence in the backyard creaked open. Dean looked up and then bounced up from the pool deck. "Hey! Jo! Charlie!" Dean let got of Castiel's hand and left the deck to go greet Jo and Charlie. He stood in front of the two girls while Castiel watched from the pool deck. He had pulled his legs out of the water as soon as Dean left him behind.

"Sorry we're late." Jo apologized, but they weren't so early that Dean couldn't handle it. "But I brought the dip!" Jo raised the bowl she had in her hands. Dean licked his lips and grabbed at the bowl, Jo spun around and kept it away from him. Dean frowned and then looked over at Charlie who was holding up a bag of chips and a two-liter of pop. "Where's Ca-" Jo looked up at the pool deck and saw Castiel. "Hey! Castiel!" Jo passed up Dean and carried her delicious bowl over to Castiel.

Dean sighed and looked over to Charlie. She smiled and pushed the items she was holding into Dean's arms. "I think she is finally getting over you, freckles." Charlie playfully punched Dean in the arm. Dean shook his head and scowled at the nickname. Charlie saw the scowl and laughed. "What? Dean, you are a giant freckle."

"Am not." Dean followed Charlie over to the deck. They walked up the stairs to the deck and he set down the items next to Jo's bowl of buffalo chicken dip. "I don't have that many freckles." Dean crossed his arms over his bare chest, ironically covering a large amount of freckles.

"Dude, you have freckles on your ears."

"How do you even see that!?" Dean covered his ears quickly.

"I look." Charlie laughed and then pulled her hair back and tied her hair band around a ponytail. She then pulled at her shirt and revealed her swimsuit underneath. She shimmied out of her shorts and stood in front of Dean. Dean's face went red from frustration and he left her be. Charlie merely smirked and jumped into the refreshingly cool pool. Some water splashed up onto the deck and got Castiel's feet wet. He stepped back and Dean was at his side.

"Still don't like the water much?" Jo asked, pulling at her shirt to get to her bathing suit.

"Not really, but I will sit with my legs in while everyone swims." Castiel was unmoved when Jo got down to her swimsuit. It was a little bikini that looked perfect on her. He blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and Dean cleared his throat. Castiel looked up at him and tried to read his expression. The only thing he could come to was that Dean was still attracted to Jo, which wouldn't be that far of an idea since she and Dean had a thing not that long ago. "Dean?" Castiel slightly nudged Dean to get his mind back to reality.

"Ah- uhm, so can I have some of that chicken dip now?" Dean was really looking forward to it. He took his eyes off of Jo when she nodded and smiled. "Hey, Cas. You have to try this stuff." Dean latched arms with Castiel and brought him over to the small amount of food. Dean quickly looked back at Jo and saw that she had joined Charlie in the pool. He turned his attention back to Castiel who was sourly staring at Dean. "What?"

"Nothing." Castiel said quickly, opening the bag of tortilla chips and scooping some buffalo chicken dip onto a chip and popping it into his mouth. "This is good." He took a handful of chips and then walked away. Dean watched him as Castiel sat at the edge of the pool.

"Shit." Dean wanted to punch himself for being stupid like that in front of Castiel.

"What'd you do this time?" Dean spun around and saw Gabriel standing just off the pool deck with his sister, Anna. "Looks like you made up with Jo." Gabriel smirked. He and Anna went up the stairs to the top of the deck and placed their things down.

"That's my problem." Dean groaned. He saw that Anna was carrying a large bowl and helped her out with it. Inside was an assortment of fruits and a large spoon for serving. "Thanks." He set the bowl down next to Jo's.

"No problem." Anna winked at Dean. "Is there a bathroom where I can change?" She asked.

"Yeah, in through that door, past the kitchen." Dean pointed towards the house and watched as Anna left towards the house. Dean sighed and went to go sit down by his boyfriend. He laid a hand on Castiel's head and ruffled his dark hair a little before sitting down and dropping his legs into the water. "I'm sorry." Dean apologized. "For staring, ya know. I mean, I'm a guy. I can't just stop." Dean raised his shoulders and let them fall dramatically. All he received in response is a dark look from Castiel. "Come on, Cas."

"Dean." Castiel responded. He shrugged away Dean's hand.

Dean sat back and frowned. He then got up. He cleared his throat then walked back over to the food and stuffing some stuff into his mouth. Gabriel approached him patted him apologetically. "Did I forget to tell you that Castiel gets jealous? Not often, but when he does, you have to do a little more than normal to get him back to normal." Gabriel sighed on behalf of Dean's dilemma. "Good luck, man."

"Yeah, good luck." Anna interjected. She was carrying a few plastic plates and set them down. "I found these in your kitchen. I hope you don't mind."

"Thanks." Dean grumbled, grabbing a plate. He shoveled food onto his plate, eating away his grumpiness.

A few hours into the small pool party, Gabriel grabbed the beach ball that had been floating around in the pool and threw it at Dean. "How about a game of volley ball. We down have a net, but we can make due." Dean smiled and threw the ball back.

"Me and you against the girls?" Dean asked. Gabriel nodded and the three girls agreed. Dean then looked over to Castiel who was then laying back on the deck, soaking up the sun and his feet out of the water and dried off. "Hey, Cas? Can you keep score?"

Castiel sat up and shaded his eyes. "Yes." He crossed his legs Indian style and proceeded to watch the five play their game. The first score went to the girls since they outnumbered the boys. Dean and Gabriel thought that they'd be a good match against the girls, but with Gabriel being much shorter, it was harder to spike the ball over the net and there was only so much that Dean could do. After thirty minutes of game play, the girls wound up winning and mocked Dean and Gabriel.

"Don't underestimate us girls!" Jo stuck her tongue out. Charlie peace signed and Anna remained quiet, but proud.

"Fine. Fine." Gabriel raised his hands in defeat and then punched Dean in the arm. "Good game." He waded through the water and then climbed the small latter out of the pool. It had been a good pool party for the short time it commenced, but Gabriel could feel that Castiel wasn't having much fun. He sat next to his brother and nudged him.

"Do you want something, Gabriel?" Castiel glanced upon his brother.

"What's on your mind?" Castiel tensed up and just watched as Dean continued to swim around in the pool with Jo, Charlie and Castiel's half-sister, Anna. Gabriel followed Castiel's eye line and saw what was going on. "Ah- well, Anna would never and Charlie bats for the other team. I heard Jo and Dean made up."

"The dilemma." Castiel muttered. "I am happy that they are friends again, but weren't they just friends before?" Castiel was still worried about Dean going back to his old ways.

"Yeah, but he is with you, Cas."

"But-"

"Castiel." Gabriel interrupted his brother and gave him a stern look. Castiel shut his mouth and listened to his Gabriel. "If your so concerned. Grab the reins, brother." Gabriel hand gestured out to Dean. "Go on." He smiled.

Castiel sat straight and watched Dean swim around. He looked back and forth from Dean and Gabriel. Gabriel urged him on. "Dean!" Castiel shouted out over the water. Dean looked up instantly and smiled at Castiel. He waded over to the edge of the pool and waited for what Castiel would say next. Castiel inched forward and took Dean's face in his hands. He made sure that his brother, and all three girls were looking. He smashed his lips to Dean's. He pulled back and Dean was wide eyed. "Only mine." He whispered, pressing his forehead against Dean ands staring into his green eyes.

Dean smiled, kissing Castiel back playfully. "Yours."


	17. Some People are Just Assholes

After a few more hours at the pool at Dean's house, Jo and Charlie decided to take their leave and go back to Jo's house. They hooked arms and said their goodbyes before leaving the backyard. Dean waved them off and then turned his attention back to Gabriel and Anna who were standing with their wet suits in their hands. Gabriel patted Dean on the shoulder. "I think we will be off too. I have some things my father needs me to do for him and I think Anna still needs to unpack from her trip." Gabriel nudged his red haired sister and she rolled her eyes.

"By that he means that we're going to leave you and Castiel alone and what not. Summer's not that long, so make the most of what you got." Anna passed Dean and brushed her hand against his arm. Dean shivered at the touch and watched as she walked away.

"Y-yeah. I'll see you guys later then." Dean half-smiled. The two Novak siblings left the backyard and then it was just Dean and Castiel. Dean turned and faced the blue-eyed wonder. "How about that date?" He asked, hooking arms with Castiel and pulling him back into the house.

"Dean, you smell like chlorine." Castiel pushed Dean off and towards the stairs. "I won't go with you smelling like that."

"You like the way I smell." Dean stuck his tongue out at Castiel before heading up the stairs. "I'll wash up and be right down." Dean disappeared upstairs while Castiel paced around on the ground floor. He rummaged through his bag for a fresh pair of clothes and his brush to comb out his sun-frizzed hair. By the time Dean was down and fresh, Castiel was redressed and standing ready at the door. "We're taking Baby." Dean grinned, jingling the Impala's keys with his fingers.

"Okay." Castiel nodded. They were soon on the road. When Dean passed up a car he thought was competition, he revved the Impala's engine. Castiel rolled his eyes and placed his arm out of the open window. "We're going to the pub?" Castiel questioned. "That's- in the open. Why not some place more pri-"

"They have good, cheap food. What can I say?" Dean shrugged and pulled into the local Pub's parking lot. There were several other cars that Dean recognized. "As long as we act natural I think we'll be okay. So come on." Dean clapped Castiel and then got out of his car. The door of the Impala creaked and then shut. Dean puffed his chest out and stood tall. Castiel followed behind him as they walked into the pub. When the doors opened, Dean walked in, holding the door a moment for Castiel. He found the nearest open seat and took a seat. Castiel took a seat opposite in the booth. A hefty looking woman walked up to their table with a pad of paper and a pen in her hands.

"What can I get you boys?" She asked.

Dean started listing off things he wanted without a menu in front of him. "He's not from around here, so probably a minutes for him." Dean leaned back against the booth seat and the waitress returned behind the bar where a few older men were sitting. Dean looked around the bar and saw some guys from his high school days playing pool. "They have all sorts of burgers here. Name whatever you want on it, and the cook will make it."

"Oh- okay." Castiel sat still, back straight, with his hands in his lap. He felt extremely out of place in the dark pub. Dean looked comfortable in the place, but since Castiel was an out-of-towner, he wasn't used to places like the pub. After a couple minutes the hefty waitress came back and Castiel placed his order. She nodded and went back to the kitchen to give the ticket to the cook. Castiel watched as she walked through the cramped space, past the guys playing pool. He also saw that the pool players were looking his and Dean's way. Castiel remembered seeing them during the short camping trip and was sure that one of them was one of the guys who threw him into the lake. They looked far from friendly. Castiel quickly turned towards Dean. "Do you know them?" He asked.

"Some guys from school." Dean shrugged. "Never really talked to them much. I moved here a little into the school year. I think the one guy's name is Alastair or something." Castiel knew that Dean was talking about the guy from the camping trip. Dean leaned forward on his elbows on the table. "To be honest, I think they were on the football team. Which automatically makes them d-bags." He chuckled. When Castiel didn't find any humor in Dean's words, Dean sat back and rubbed his hands down his legs. "Come on, Cas."

"Dean, this place-" Castiel was cut off when the waitress came by with two plates with burgers and overloaded fries. She set them down. Dean looked up at her and winked. She rolled her eyes and told him to shut up and eat. Castiel let a small smile creep to his lips. They sat silently and ate their delicious burgers. Castiel was the upmost satisfied with the food in the pub. Though, he was still uneasy about the guys playing pool. He looked over his shoulder at them and saw them staring right back. Then Alastair started to walk over.

Dean looked up surprised at the guy. "Can I help you?" He asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Tell you're sissy friend here to quit eyeing me." Alastair barked, glaring over at Castiel who had frozen in place.

"Excuse you?" Dean stood from his seat.

"Dean, don't." Castiel blurted out.

"Yeah, Dean _don't. _Alastair mimicked Castiel. "You heard me, Winchester. Keep your queer in check." He spit at Castiel and scuffed his boot on the dirty pub floor. Dean tensed up with anger. He clenched his fist and approached him. Some of Alastair's buddies who were playing pool put their sticks down and joined their friend. "You really think you can start something with us?"

Dean huffed, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and threw some cash down onto the tabletop. "Come on, Cas. Let's go." Dean grabbed Castiel by his sleeve and pushed through the group of jocks. The opened the doors to the pub and stepped outside. Dean still held onto Castiel tightly. They made their way back to the Impala. Dean let out a heavy breath as he leaned against the car. He released his clenched hand.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stared over at them." Castiel apologized.

"They shouldn't have been pricks." Dean scowled. "We can go back to my house now if you want. _Apparently _we aren't welcome around here." Dean glared at the pub as the group of angered guys came out and saw that Dean and Castiel were still there in the parking lot. Dean spit on the ground and pushed away from the car. His blood was boiling just at the sight of the guys from his high school.

"Dean, we should go." Castiel placed a hand on Dean's arm, gripping a small bit of the fabric of his shirt.

"HEY FAGGOTS!" Alastair shouted towards the two. Castiel flinched towards Dean. The group came towards them and Dean pushed Castiel aside gently and stood his front. "Why don't you leave already? I can already feel the gay infecting this place." Alastair hissed and his buddies laughed.

"Fuck off, Alastair." Dean flipped them off, which didn't solve anything.

"Dean." Castiel called out hastily under his breath. He didn't like confrontation and he felt like a fight was going to break out soon. He already got that at home, he didn't want it out in the town as well. "Dean, come on." Castiel walked up beside Dean and tried to pull him back to the car. Dean stood strong.

"Cas, just stay back." Dean pushed Castiel back again and that peeved the darker haired boy. He understood that Dean was only trying to keep him safe, but it did hurt his masculinity a bit. Alastair and his group closed in. Castiel stepped forward again and stared Dean down. Dean knew not to push him back again by the look on his face.

"What'd you say, Winchester?" Alastair was face to face with Dean. They were in a stare down, trying to size each other up. Neither Dean nor Alastair looked away. Castiel kept a watch out for the four others who were walking around. He and Dean were more than double out numbered.

"Fuck. Off." Dean repeated himself. He then broke the no contact and shoved Alastair backwards. Alastair tripped on the uneven pavement and toppled backwards. Dean snickered, turning to face Castiel with a carefree grin on his face. Dean had no idea, but Castiel saw that Alastair had gotten up and had his fist hurdling towards Dean's head.

"Dean! Watch out!" Castiel pulled Dean out of the way just in time, but was clipped in the face by the brutal force of Alastair's punch. Castiel staggered backwards, holding his face. Alastair stood back, blowing on his knuckles. He turned to his friends, laughing, thinking the fight was done. Castiel rolled his jaw, hearing it click into place. He spit the blood from his mouth from biting the inside of his cheek. When he looked up, he saw Dean getting ready to mess Alastair up. "Dean." Castiel said calmly. When Dean didn't hear him, he yelled a bit louder. "DEAN." Castiel shouted in a demanding voice. Dean looked over at him, anger in his eyes. "Move."

Dean stood between Castiel and Alastair so he stepped to the side. Castiel walked up behind Alastair and tapped him on the shoulder. Alastair turned around, raising an eyebrow. Castiel clenched his fist and brought it right across Alastair's face at full force.

Dean stood back and was amazing at the force Castiel could pump out. He saw Alastair fall back down to the pavement, completely knocked out cold. Castiel pulled his fist to his chest, rubbing his thumb over his now sore knuckles. "Okay, now we can go." Castiel grabbed Dean by the back of his collar and dragged him back to the impala. Dean was in awe. He just went along with it. They left without another words from the jocks checking on their knocked out friend.

They quickly got into the Impala and peeled out of the parking lot of the pub. Once on the road, Dean looked over at Castiel's bruising face. "Probably should put some ice on that." Dean ran his fingers down the side of Castiel's face and then returned his attention back to the road. "That was pretty badass, Cas. Sorry you had to take that punch for me." Dean frowned. "Didn't think you could pull a punch like that back, though." He smiled.

"I've had practice with Michael." Castiel said, tenderly touching his face. "Ice would be good. I can feel it swelling." He let his hands fall to his lap. "I dislike people who are closed minded."

"Well, Cas. Some people are just assholes." Dean sighed. He turned the impala down his street and soon they were back at Dean's house. They locked up the car and ventured inside to put some ice on Castiel's face. Dean pulled a plastic bag from the kitchen drawer and then filled it up with the trays of ice cubes in the freezer. He left the empty trays on the counter to be refilled later. After wrapping the bag in a hand towel, he sat Castiel down and gently pressed the bag to his face. Castiel winced, but leaned into it, sighing.

"This feels good." Castiel placed his hand over Dean's holding the ice pack to his face. Dean pulled Castiel slower to him and they lied back on the couch, they had closed up the pull out. Castiel placed himself accordingly so that they weren't too uncomfortable. "Dean?"

"Yeah, Cas?" Dean responded.

"That was an eventful first date." Castiel looked up at Dean, taking the ice pack away from his face for a moment.

"Sorry." Dean frowned. It was a pretty crappy first date. "We can have a redo." He promised, looking down into Castiel's blue eyes.

Castiel shook his head. "I thought it was good. For a first date, I mean." He snuggled against Dean's chest. "There is no need for a redo. Just more-" Dean silenced Castiel with a kiss. He was sure to be tender with the side Castiel's black and blue face. When they parted, Dean kissed Castiel's forehead and sighed with relief that Castiel wasn't upset with the failed attempt at a first date. "More of this." Castiel finished his sentence and lied comfortable in Dean's arms.


	18. I Enjoy Your Company

The next day was a lazy day for Dean and Castiel. They had ended up pulling out the bed form the couch to sleep there again for the night. It was now Saturday and their weekend was almost up. Dean was up for anything, but all Castiel wanted to do was watch movies. The day before had been filled with a pool party and a fight at the pub. All Castiel wanted to do lie in bed next to Dean. "Do you have the second one?" Castiel asked, getting up from the pull out bed and walked up to the cabinet that had all of Dean's DVDs. He looked over at Dean for an answer.

Dean was leaning back on an elbow while staring at his phone. He looked up. "Huh? Yeah, it should be in there." He then glanced back down to his phone. He pressed a few buttons and smiled. Castiel pulled the second movie out and replaced the one in the DVD player. He looked back again at Dean when he heard him softly chuckle.

When the DVD was all set for another movie to watch, Castiel plopped back down on the pull out and leaned over to Dean. "Who are you texting?" He asked. He never saw Dean texting anyone before when he was around, and he was there with him, so he was interested.

"It's nothing." Dean shut his phone and pocketed it. "So, Iron Man 2?" Dean sat back against the couch part of the pull out. He left the space next to him open for Castiel. Castiel situated himself next to Dean, getting comfortable against the cushions and Dean's arm. The movie started o play and Castiel got lost for a moment in the film. Dean squeezed Castiel's shoulder. He leaned over and kissed Castiel's temple. He then kissed at his cheek. Castiel shrugged him away. "Cas? What's wrong?"

"My face still hurts." Castiel slightly lied.

"Oh." Dean sighed. He sat back. His phone then buzzed in his pocket and her pulled it out.

From 'Jo'

_I heard about that! Everyone knows Alastair got the snot beat out of him! * Hunter Girl_ *

Castiel looked over, hoping to see who Dean was texting, but he couldn't read the name on the phone. All he knew was that Dean was smiling like a fool at his phone the way he would smile at him when they were flirting. Dean snapped his phone shut and set it down on the arm of the couch. It kept buzzing throughout the movie and each buzz gave Castiel and itch.

Castiel got up from the pull out and fixed his lazy clothes. He started to walk away, looked back once and saw that Dean wasn't even interested in where he was going. Castiel sneered and walked off towards the bathroom.

Dean looked up from his phone and frowned. He had been texting Jo and felt a little bad about it, but Castiel had been distant all day and they had been watching movies that Dean had seen already. He was a little bored to be honest. He paused the movie for Castiel and then returned to his phone.

From 'Jo'

_How's things going with Cas, by the way? *Hunter Girl *_

Dean frowned and quickly responded. _Fine. I guess. DW._ Dean looked up to see if Castiel had come back, but didn't see him anywhere. His phone buzzed with Jo's response.

_What's wrong? * Hunter Girl *_

Dean raised an eyebrow in confusion. How Jo could tell something was up was strange. _I don't know. I'll ttyl. DW. _He pocketed his phone and got up from the couch. He searched the first floor and found that Castiel had gone into the bathroom. He brought his hand up to knock, but heard Castiel talking inside.

Inside the bathroom, Castiel had the phone to his ear. "Gabriel, I don't- I know- But"

_"Castiel, listen to me. I have told you this before! He's just a normal guy."_ Gabriel reassured his brother. "_You need normal."_

"I do." Castiel sighed into his phone. Then a knock came to the door. "Yes?" Castiel called out. He shut his phone, hanging up on his brother.

"Hey Cas. I- Uh- I paused the movie." Dean said nervously. Castiel frantically flushed the un-used toilet for cover's sake. He opened the door after running his hands in the sink. Dean peeked inside and kept his eyes on Cas. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine." Castiel said hastily, running his hand under the water again and again. Dean entered the bathroom and stood behind Castiel before wrapping his hands around Castiel and snaking them down his arms. Dean ran his hands under the water with Castiel, pulling him and Castiel's hands out of the sink. "Dean, I said I'm fine."

"I know." Dean leaned into Castiel, resting his chin on Castiel's shoulder. "I can't stand here?"

"Dean, stop." Dean held on tightly to Castiel's hands even though the darker haired boy was trying to pull away. Castiel pushed away from the countertop in hope that Dean would release him, but it didn't work. Dean held steady.

"Tell me what's up and I will let you go." Dean mumbled into Castiel's shoulder. His and Castiel's wet hands dripped, creating a small puddle of water on the floor. The stood in silence until Castiel sighed.

"You do not enjoy my company as much as I… enjoy yours." Castiel finally let it off his chest. He softened in Dean's arms and stared down at the countertop waiting for Dean's response. He expected Dean to let him go immediately and be hurt by his words, but Dean turned him around and squeezed him in a heartwarming hug.

"If I don't enjoy your company, than what is this?" Dean pecked Castiel on the lips. His green eyes shined brightly into Castiel's electric blue eyes. "What made you think that I-" Dean was cut off when his phone started to buzz and Castiel glared at him during the process of him pulling away to get his phone out. The front screen lit up with an incoming call. "Uh- It's my mom." Dean chuckled nervously. "I gotta get this." Dean exited the bathroom, leaving Castiel flustered and aggravated. Dean was being his normal self and Castiel felt like he was asking too much of him. They had only been 'together' for about a week and everything was moving so fast around them. Castiel sighed and left the bathroom, shutting off the light as he left. He passed Dean in the hallway and continued the movie in the living room.

"Hey Mom." Dean answered the phone. His mother sighed happily into the phone and asked him if he was all right and everything. "Yeah, Mom. Yeah, the house is fine. Yeah, I'm good on food." Dean rolled his eyes while he paced down the hallway.

"_Honey, you sound tired. Have you been sleeping well?"_ Mary questioned her son with concern.

"Heh, yeah Mom." Dean chuckled, thinking back to the nights after his parents left and everything he and Castiel had done. "How's Kansas? Is Sammy having fun?" Honestly, Dean sort of missed his little pest of a brother.

"_It's very nice here, Dean. I wish you would have come, but helping out your Uncle Bobby is very sweet of you."_ Mary hummed for a second. _Oh! I forgot to tell you, we're actually going to be home a week earlier. Your father got a call for a job that he can't miss so we have to come home then. So we will be home two weeks from tomorrow." _ Dean couldn't help but groan into the phone. His mother laughed. _Throwing parties? Sorry to take a weekend away from you." _Mary mocked her son. There was a little rustling on her end of the line. _Hold on, Dean. Sammy wants to talk to you."_

Dean pulled his phone away from his ear in confusion. Maybe Sam missed him a little? Dean pressed his phone to his ear again and listened to what his brother had to say. "Yeah, Sammy?"

"_Dean, how do you talk to girls?" _Sammy was hushing his voice, obviously trying to hide his embarrassment from his parents.

Dean chuckled. "Finally getting out in the world, eh, Sammy?"

_"Shut up!" _ Sam growled. _"And forget about it, what do you know about girls anyways?!" _The phone call clicked to an angry end and Dean sneered. He reevaluated missing his brother and came to the conclusion that he could deal without Sam for the next two weeks or even longer. Shortly after the phone call ended, Dean received a text phone his mother with the simple words _I love you._

Dean ran his fingers through his hair. He thought about what his mom said. They were coming home a week earlier than planned, which Dean didn't think was the end of the world, but it still sucked. Dean knew that when his family got back he would have significantly less time to spend with Castiel. He blew out a heavy sigh, knowing he had to fix things with Castiel before he spent any more time with the guy.

"Hey-Cas…" Dean entered the living room, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I did anything, I'm sorry." Dean looked up and saw Castiel slightly hunched over staring at his phone. "Cas?" Dean peered over Castiel's shoulder and saw that his lover's hands were shaking terribly. "Hey, what's wrong?" Dean grabbed Castiel's shoulder and turned him to face him. "What happened, what's wrong?"

"I don't know how he got my number." Castiel's blue eyes were wide with fright. He handed his phone over to Dean. Dean glared at the screen. There was a missed call from an unknown number and a voicemail attached to it as well. Dean held Castiel's phone to his ear and listened.

"_You're dead, Novak. Try doing what you did yesterday again, and me and my boys will take you down, faggot."_

Dean clenched the phone hard, hearing the plastic covering snap under the pressure of his hand. He ripped the phone form his ear and deleted the message. It was obvious that it was Alastair. Dean threw the phone down to the padded mattress. Castiel stared up to him with big eyes. "Dean-"

"I'm going to kill him." Dean decided while nodding.

"Dean, no." Castiel instantly stood up and grabbed onto the fabric of Dean's shirt. "Dean, this happens all the time. It's just…. surprising that he got my number some how." Castiel flattened his hands on Dean's chest. "I get this from Michael, so- I'm used to it. There is no reason for conflict."

"I'm still going to kill the guy." Dean pulled away from Castiel, breathing through his nose heavily. He awkwardly paced the living room, huffing and puffing. Then Castiel's phone rang out loudly. Before Castiel could answer it for himself, Dean grabbed it and angrily answered it. "Alright, ass face-"

_"Dean? Dean, it's Gabriel. Cas is still with you, right?" _

_"_Yeah, he is. What happened?" Dean caught the urgency in Gabriel's voice.

_ "Got a call from that loser Cas punched in the face. Just making sure you've still got him over there." _

"Has everyone heard about it?" Castiel asked, perking up when he heard a hint of Gabriel's voice from his phone. "Tell Gabriel I am fine. I can handle myself."

Dean rolled his eyes at Castiel who was getting flustered by his brother being worried about it. Dean was a little worried as well. Castiel had received a threatening call and by the sound of it, so had Gabriel. Alastair was clearly targeting the Novak family, which was strange since Castiel only came around for the summers. "I've got him, Gabriel. We'll talk to you later." Dean hung up and handed Castiel his phone back. Castiel took it and placed it on the coffee table.

"Dean, I do not think Alastair will try anything."

"You're too calm about this." Dean retorted.

"I like to think of myself as a calm person." Castiel let his shoulders fall. "Also, I was capable of knocking him out cold before. If the occasion came around a second time, I am positive I could do it again." Castiel wasn't the frail person most people thought him to be. He may have had a fear of water due to past traumatic experiences, but that didn't keep him from standing his own.

"I won't let that guy near you for you to have to swing at him again." Dean stood his ground. He would be there for Castiel always. No class A d-bag would threaten Castiel and get away with it. "I got your back." Dean sat down on the pull out and patted the area next to him.

Castiel huffed and sat down. "I got your back as well."

Jo Harvelle laughed as she scanned her computer screen and saw the posts about Alastair getting his ass beat by Castiel. Jo had been in school with the jerk for years upon years and his bad attitude was just annoying. He was glad someone finally brought the guy down, but she was also surprised that Castiel had it in him. After thinking about it for a moment, she did come around to remember that Castiel wasn't a toothpick. He was a six feet tall guy with an athletic body, almost like that of a runner. As she scrolled down the web page, she started to see the posts about Dean as well. She pulled out her phone, wondering if Dean had started to text her again after leaving for a while. There were no texts.

She glanced over at Charlie, who was still at her house ever since the day before. She was scrolling a blue blogging site and giggling as she showed Jo funny picture sets every once in a while. "The town is starting to talk." Jo groaned, flopping back on her bed. "Dean isn't going to be happy about this."

"About the whole Alastair thing? I never met the guy, but he sounds like he's hard core d-bagging it." Charlie shut her laptop and set it aside. "What's wrong with the town finding out that Alastair got the smack down from our little Frodo?"

"It's not that. It more of what caused the fight." Jo passed her out laptop over to Charlie. Some people in this town may not have a problem with what Dean and Cas are doing, but most of those rednecks out there are not too happy." Jo picked up her phone and quickly shot a text to Dean. _You and Cas be careful. News is spreading fast about you two. * Hunter Girl * _

"They're probably fine." Charlie shrugged, handing Jo back her laptop. "It's summer, so they don't have to deal with high school problems." Charlie lied back on the bed next to Jo and tapped her fingers on the head board of the bed.

"Yeah, I just hope Dean doesn't cave into himself again." Jo sighed. Charlie propped herself up on her elbow and questioned Jo. Jo continued. "When I first met him he wasn't too into sharing his feelings about things. I guess he has opened up a lot since then, but still, he might shut it all in again." She grimaced and sat back up when she received a text from Dean.

_Thanks. What have you heard? DW. _

Jo responded with things she heard over the web. She received a simple "okay" response from Dean. She rubbed he temples, stressed because Dean didn't seem to be reacting to any of the commotion at all. Charlie playfully punched her arm. "Don't worry about him, Jo!"

"I can't help it, I-" Jo bit her lip.

"You still like him. I can tell. You can't hide it." Charlie stuck her tongue out at her friend and rested a hand on her shoulder when she became serious. "It sucks, having the person you like not like you back." There was truth behind the red head's words. Her expression was sad for a second then turned into her normal, happy Charlie look.

"He used to like me. Or at least I thought so." Jo let her shoulder fall. She shook her head. "I'm fine. I am over him. I am really over him. I'm just worried." Jo thought back to the first time she met Dean. He had come to school for the first day about half way through the school year. His face was bruised and his knuckles cut up from a fight. No one would talk to him and only knew him by his last name, Winchester. After about a week, he had gotten the reputation of the school womanizer. Jo tried to stay away from him, but there was something about Dean Winchester that drew her in. They soon became friends and a little more, but nothing mutually exclusive. Hen when Dean said he was going to stick around for a while, Jo got it in her head that Dean was it for her. He was going to be the one. But since everything happened with Dean and Cas and Dean came out to Jo honestly, everything crumbled around her.

"Yeah _So _ over him." Charlie rolled her eyes at Jo as she stayed silent and thought about all the things that had happened within the small week of summer.


	19. He's a Strange Fella

"How would you like it if I bashed your face in!?" Dean growled at the group of guys, including Alastair all bruised up, which had ambushed him while he was at the small convenience store in town. He was just picking up a new tube of toothpaste for himself. No matter how hard he searched his house that morning, he just couldn't find out.

"Hey, you guys need to clear out." Barked the clerk behind the counter. "If any of you guys throw a punch I'm calling the cops." He waved his phone in the air, clearly stating his point. Dean snatched his plastic bag and receipt and pushed through the group towards the automated doors of the store. His head was clogging with blinding anger that he didn't see the guy he smacked right into. He stumbled back, dropping his bag.

"Sorry, man. My bad." Dean rubbed his neck, picking his bag back up form the ground. He then looked up at the guy, who was only slightly taller than Dean. The striking eyes were a familiar trait of a certain family Dean knew. His hair: dark. With everything combined, Dean huffed with dissatisfaction. "What is with these ass holes today?" Dean pushed passed the guy.

"Do I know you?" Michael asked. Dean whipped around. He had only had one encounter with the guy before, when he came to Castiel's room and ordered him around for their father. Michael raised an eyebrow and then 'oh'ed in response. "My brother's new toy. Winchester was it? Dean Winchester?" Michael placed his hands in his pockets and eyed Dean. "Nice to see you again." A smile crept onto Michael's face. It was obviously fake, but dreadfully poisonous.

"Yeah _nice _to see you two." Dean rolled his eyes and sped walk to his car. When he shut his door and rolled the windows down for a cool breeze and before he started up the engine, Michael shouted out to Dean.

"I'll tell my friend, Alastair, you said hello as well." Dena clenched the steering wheel, giving it his all not to get out of the car and curb stomp the oldest Novak brother. Before he got out of the impala, he revved the engine and peeled out of the convenience store parking lot.

Back at the house Castiel decided to clean up a bit at the house. He was leaving that day and felt like it was his job to at least clean up Dean's house before he left. After bundling up the sheets they used on the pull out couch, he rolled the bed back into the couch and replaced the cushions. He looked around not knowing much of what else to do. Dean was very diligent in keeping things in order like in the military.

The front door jiggled open and then slammed full shut. Dean came storming into his house. He threw his bag with his toothpaste onto the kitchen table. Castiel popped out of the living room, a bundle of sheets in his arms. "Would you like me to wash these, Dean?"

No answer.

"Dean?" Castiel stood in front of Dean, as he stayed silent. "Dean?" He called out again.

"I met two of your favorite people today." Dean huffed, kicking his shoes off. He stepped forward and dropped his head to Castiel's shoulder. Castiel patted him on the shoulder, though not entirely sure who Dean was talking about. His silence forced Dean to continue. "Alastair and his dog pack ambushed me at the convenience store."

"What?" Castiel stood back, shock in his blue eyes. "Are you okay?" He pinching Dean's chin between his fingers and thumb. He turned Dean's face from side to side inspecting for damage. When he saw nothing, he sighed and let his hand drop to Dean's chest. "You said two people?" Castiel frowned. "Michael."

Dean let out a hearty groan. He rubbed his temples, stepping back from Castiel. "Well looks like brother number two is friends with public enemy number one." Dean back stepped until he reached the seat at the kitchen table. He grunted as he sat down and fooled with eh plastic bag holding his toothpaste.

"I don't understand." Castiel said, taking the seat next to Dean.

"Michael and Alastair know each other, Cas." Dean slapped his hands down onto the table. "Isn't that just _great?"_

"It is not great at all, Dean. I don't understand why you would think it is." Castiel leaned forward on his elbows. Dean groaned, arching his back over the back of his chair. "What?" Castiel questioned.

"Nothing." Dean chuckled. "I just- I love you." Dean's freckled cheeks grew red. He had never said those words directly to Castiel and he felt like maybe it was the right time to do so. Castiel perked up at Dean's words. His expression softened when he leaned in towards Dean and they kissed like the new couple they were.

"I love you, Dean." Castiel leaned in, taking Dean's hands in his own. "Thank you for being here for me. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't met you." Castiel remembered words he had said to his brother about Dean. _He saved me… _Dean pulled back, smiling. He kissed his boyfriend once more.

"Well, should we get you back home, unless you want to stick around even though I'm working a lot this week?" Dean was hopefully, but Castiel pushed him away gently, a small smile on his lips.

"I need to go home, Dean." Castiel scooted his chair back. "We still have summer." Castiel reminded Dean. He gathered his things, shoving them into his duffle bag. "But for now, I think Gabriel misses me. He has already called me three times today wondering when I'm coming home. It's not even noon." Castiel pursed his lips, slightly irritated at his brother.

"Let's get going then." Dean slung an arm around Castiel's shoulder. "Can't keep Gabriel waiting." He chuckled.

The week commenced with lots of work for Dean to do at Bobby's garage. Some cars piled up over the weekend and Bobby's shop was in full swing. Dean rubbed the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead, hoping no grease would smudge. He set his tools down after removing the tire rod in the car he was working on. He slid out from under the car and sat up. Shortly after, Bobby handed him a cold water bottle.

"Thanks, Bobby." Den grabbed the water, twisted the cap off and chugged it down. He wiped the sweat from his face again, this time smearing a large streak of grease across his face. Bobby laughed, handing him a semi-dirty rag. Dean rolled his eyes, but took it anyways.

"Almost done there, boy?" Bobby asked, leaning down and inspecting the car. "How's everything lookin' in there." Bobby straightened his back, groaning when it popped back into place. Dean grimaced at the sound. "Getting' old sucks, Dean." He frowned, keeping a straight face, then chuckled. "Stay young as long as you can."

Dean grinned. "Yeah." Bobby offered him a hand and pulled him up from the ground. Bobby gripped Dean's shoulder and squeezed. Bobby then let him go and walked off towards the car he was working on. He shut the hood. "When's lunch break?" Dean rubbed his growling stomach.

Bobby shook his head while laughing at the young Winchester. "Well, looks like your lunch got here." Bobby motioned behind Dean. Dean whipped around and saw Castiel standing awkwardly in the garage doorway. He was holding a fast food bag in his hands. Dean stared wide-eyed at him.

"Cas?" Dean jolted over to him, smelling the greasy goodness in the bag. Dean peaked over his shoulder at Bobby who was watching the two closely. "Uh, Bobby, this is Cas. He's my- uh- friend." Dean nervously rubbed the back of his neck, furthering the grease spread. "Cas this is Bobby."

Castiel bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you, sir." Bobby insisted on Castiel just calling him Bobby. Castiel stood straight and pushed the bag of greasy fast food into Dean's arms. "I thought you would be hungry, so I brought you this." Castiel shrugged. "I can leave now if you're busy." Castiel turned on a pin, but Dean caught him.

"Stay. I haven't seen you in a couple days." Dean smiled sadly. Castiel obliged and they went to sit off on the old wooden table just past the garage. Castiel sat directly next to Dean, while Bobby sat opposite the two with his own lunch he grabbed from his house. Castiel sat awkwardly at Dean and Bobby ate away at their food. Dean moaned at his burger. "Man, Cas. Where'd you get this? It's delicious." Dean took another large bite.

"The pub." Castiel said quietly. Dean shot a worried look at him. "No, he wasn't there."

Bobby raised an eyebrow at Dean and Castiel's short conversation before Dean went back to eating his sandwich. He thought about the pub for a moment, knowing he had heard something happened there over the weekend. Something about a kid getting knocked out cold. "You knocked him out, huh, son?" Bobby asked. Castiel's stiffened. Bobby laughed. "That Alastair kid has been a nuisance in this town. I'm glad someone finally knocked some sense into him."

"He threw the punch first. Cas just got him right back." Dean said proudly, showing off his 'friend.'

"He was going to punch you, Dean." Castiel said under his breath, but Bobby still caught it.

"Dean, what are you doing, getting into fights?" Bobby growled. "You know what I told you about those brawls. One of these days, you won't be coming back home in one piece." The mood at the table changed over to something less than pleasant for Castiel. He looked over at Dean who was cowering in front of the man across the table.

"Yes, sir." Dean nodded, looking down at his lap.

Castiel cleared his throat. "Alastair was showing off to his friends and decided to out me in public. Dean was only there to try and stop them before things got worse. I am very grateful." Castiel placed his hands on the table and pushed himself up from the bench. "I need to go now, though. I have some things I need to do." Castiel stepped his leg over the bench.

Dean looked up at him. "Cas-" Dean reached for Castiel, taking his hand, forgetting the rest of the world. Bobby continued to stare at the two. A smile came to his lips. He snorted and then went back to eating his food. Bobby's snort brought Dean back. He dropped Castiel's hand and smirked. "Thanks for the food. I'll- We'll hang out soon, man." Dean tried to make the words coming out of his mouth sound semi-normal.

Castiel raised an eyebrow at him. "I will text you later, _man."_ Castiel imitated Dean's effort, only making the situation even more awkward. "See you." Castiel waved goodbye and disappeared around the corner of the garage towards the car he drove to get there.

Dean sighed and went back to eating his food. He glanced up at Bobby who was staring deeply at him. Dean grunted, shifted his position in his seat and returned to eating. The silence grew and Dean broke out into a nervous sweat. Finally Bobby started off the talk he wanted to have with Dean. "He's a strange fella'"

"Heh. Yeah, I guess you could say that." Dean popped the last of his burger in his mouth and then started on his fries. "I like the guy, though. He's pretty cool." Dean shrugged, playing off his relationship with Castiel as something completely normal.

"You _like_ him, you mean." Bobby corrected Dean. Dean shot his green eyes up at Bobby and nearly choked on his French fries. "Don't play dumb with me, Dean." Bobby shook his head. "I can always tell."

"What?" Dean panicked. Bobby said nothing more and got up from the picnic table. He threw his paper plate in an old barrel filled with other trash. He wiped his hands on his dirty pants and walked back towards the garage. "Wait, Uncle Bobby!" Dean detangled his bowed legs from the bench and ran at the older man. "Bobby, Y-you're not-" Dean stammered.

"What? Mad? Disgusted?" Each word bore into Dean and burned. Bobby continued. "Dean, who do you think I am?" Dean was on the verge of collapsing to his knees. His legs shook so badly. He waited for Bobby to continue, afraid of what the man would say about his newfound homosexual relationship with a 'strange fella'. "Dean. Does this affect your work?"

Dean was silent.

"Well, son?"

"No." Dean mumbled, eyes down casted at the dirt ground.

"Then I don't see a problem with a man loving another man as long as he can work hard and grow up to make a difference in the world." Bobby nodded in approval to Dean and entered the garage to continue working. Dean's shaking legs brought him running into the garage. He threw himself at Bobby, hugging the man. Bobby smiled, hugging Dean as if nothing had changed. Dean sobbed into the man's shirt. Bobby pushed him back. "Don't snot all over me kid." He rolled his eyes.

Dean pulled back, wiping his eyes. He smiled so brightly, the rims on the cars shined. "Sorry." Bobby threw Dean his handkerchief and Dean blew his nose out into the fabric. Dean held it out for Bobby.

"Just keep it." Bobby grimaced. He picked up his wrench and popped open the front of the car he was working on. Dean was so relieved at the normalcy of it all. A huge weight had been lifted off of him. He picked up his tools and continued to work on the tire rod of the car he was fixing. When he rolled back under the car, he heard Bobby call out his name. "Dean, I would-" Bobby chose his words carefully. "I would probably keep this on the down low in front of your father." Bobby was only speaking because he knew John. John would not be pleased with the news at all.

Dean gulped, thinking about what his father would do if he ever found out. "Uh- yeah. Thanks Bobby."

"Anytime, Kid."


	20. Pray the Gay Away

Dean leaned back against his bed's headboard. He held his phone in between his shoulder and ear while he picked at the grease and dirt under his nails. He thought about the past week and how Castiel had brought him lunch nearly every day, and how Bobby knew everything that was going on. Dean smiled and waited for Castiel to pick up the line. _"Hello?"_ Castiel answered in a hurry.

"Hey Cas, it's Dean." Dean switched his phone over to his other ear, holding it with his hand. "I got out of the garage early. Bobby gave me tomorrow off too, but I have to work all weekend." Dean would have rambled on, but there was some rustling on the other end of the line and he stopped. "Cas? Are you listening?" Dean heard a clatter and pulled his phone away from his ear to help his eardrums out a bit.

_"Sorry, What, Dean?"_ Castiel responded.

Dean huffed. "I want to see you." He stated bluntly.

More rustle and clattering sounded on the end of the line_. i"I have to go, Dean."/i_ Before Dean could protest the line went dead. He dropped his phone to his bed and got up. He ran his fingers through his hair blew out an aggravated breath. It was really his only day to relax and he wanted to have Castiel there with him, but with those plans in the dumpster, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do anymore. He groaned, looking around at his dirty room and decided that a full house cleaning was in order and then he would try and call Castiel later.

Dean cleaned the entire house. Some things had piled up over the week since work had gotten the best of him, and he lacked in his house held chores. Dean was standing in the kitchen at the sink and ran water over the dish in his hands. His phone had remained silent since he had tried to call Castiel earlier that day. Dean eyed the electronic, waiting for Castiel to hopefully call back. After another hour of waiting and a severely clean house, Dean picked up his phone. He was itching to see Castiel, so he dialed up his love's number, only to get the voicemail message.

"_You've reached Castiel Novak. I cannot come to the phone right now…-" _

Dean waited for the tone. "Hey, Cas. It's me. Hey listen,- I really want to see you. Er- I know I saw you the other day, but- Call me back, okay?" Dean ended the call with a groan at his rambling. He snapped his phone shut and set it down. "That was _so_ pathetic. It was time to wait again for Castiel to call back.

Castiel stormed down the hall to his room. He passed his light haired brother, Gabriel, along the way. Gabriel sensed the pent up anger coming off of Castiel and stopped him in his tracks. "What's wrong, Cassie?" Gabriel chirped.

Castiel snapped cold eyes at his brother. "What do you want, Gabriel?"

"Why the attitude?" Gabriel noticed a fresh red mark on Castiel's face. He brought his hand u, but Castiel flinched away from the touch. "You and Michael need to stop butting heads." Gabriel assessed the situation, coming up with Michael saying something that Castiel didn't like, and that ended with fists flying as per usual.

"Have you heard his and father's new technique?" Castiel asked, deep anger resided in his voice. "It's called pray the gay away."

"No." Gabriel stood back, not believing that Michael and his father had returned to their religious ways when "coping" with Castiel's homosexuality. "Really?" Gabriel groaned, slouching against the wall.

"Yes, and I am not pleased with this situation." Castiel growled, pushing past Gabriel. He opened the door to his room. Gabriel followed him inside and watched as Castiel started to clean out his dresser. He threw the clothes onto his bed.

"Cas, what are you doing?"

"I can't stay here." Castiel threw more of his belonging onto his bed. He then started to clean his bedroom floor, which was something he rarely did. "I'm going back home, my mother needs me back to-"

"What about Dean?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow. At the sound of Dean's name, Castiel stopped cleaning. He had forgotten about Dean in his irrational rage. Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. He pointed at Castiel's bed. "Sit." He ordered. Castiel took a seat immediately and looked up at his brother. Gabriel bit his lip, choosing his words wisely to make sure they got the point across. "You are so afraid of losing Dean, but what happens if you leave him?"

"I-" Castiel spoke up, but Gabriel cut him off again.

"What. Happens." When Castiel didn't respond and only had a sad expression on his face, Gabriel continued. "I will get Michael to back off." Gabriel uncrossed his arms and left the room. Castiel stayed silent on his bed and stared at his phone that was lighting up with new messages and missed calls.

It wasn't until the next day that Castiel tried to call Dean back. Dean must have been busy with work since the call went straight to voicemail. Castiel decided to not leave a message. Instead he decided to take a drive over to Bobby's garage. Gabriel willingly gave Castiel the keys to his car, and Castiel was soon on his way. Though, he was not prepared for what he was going to see along the way.

On the way over to the garage, Castiel had to pass Dean's home. He couldn't ignore the house. In the front yard, Dean was cleaning up trash and scrubbing off large, spray-painted letter that spelled out "FAG" from his garage door. Castiel pulled into the driveway and got out of the car quickly. He shut the door and Dean looked up at the noise.

"Cas?" Dean looked exhausted. He dropped the rag in his hands to the ground and wiped his paint-covered hands on his work jeans. "What are you doing here? Did you get my call?" He asked, clearly dismissing the hate graffiti on his garage like it was nothing.

"Sorry I missed your call. Michael was-"

"Covering for Alastair when they did this shit to my house?" Dean snapped, pointing at the paint. "Pretty sure the whole town knows now." Dean kicked his boot against the concrete driveway. "Sorry, didn't mean to snap." Castiel stood back, a little frightened by Dean's sudden anger after being so calm. "Sorry," Dean apologized again. "I just-"

"I am sorry that this happened." Castiel leaned down in front of Dean and picked up the paint-blotched rag. "Can I help?"

Dean faintly smiled. "Yeah, let me grab another rag." He walked up to his front door and disappeared into the house for some new cleaning supplies. Castiel stood back and thought about where to start first. Dean had worked away most of the "F" so Castiel worked on it until that part of the large garage door was spotless.

Dean soon came out with a couple bottles of water and an extra rag. He saw the work Castiel had already done and blew out an impressed whistle. He uncapped a bottle of cold water and handed it to Castiel. "I thought you didn't like cleaning?" Dean laughed.

"This is my fault, so I am glad to help." Castiel took the bottle and sipped it.

Dean frowned. "Come on, Cas. This isn't you're fault." Dean took his own rag and worked on the next letter. "We're in this together." Dean patted Castiel on the back and tried to get him to smile. "Let's just finish this up." They worked for another hour and finally got the rest of the graffiti off of the garage. Dean finished cleaning up the yard from trash while Castiel gathered the cleaning supplies and carried them into the house with Dean following behind him. When everything was settled, Castiel sighed, causing Dean to look straight at him. "What's wrong?"

"I was rude yesterday when I hung up on you." Castiel slouched. Dean pulled him into a hug. "Yet again, my family was getting the best of me." Castiel let out a shaky breath. He and Dean hadn't had any bodily contact since the weekend before and even a simple hug made Castiel melt. "I wanted to go home." Dean pulled back. "I just wanted to get away and I forgot about you. For that I am sorry." Castiel held onto Dean tightly. Dean kissed his temple and nuzzled into Castiel's neck, leaving butterfly kisses along Castiel's skin. "Dean, say something."

"You stayed." Dean pointed out. "You're still here. That's all I care about." He whispered, hugging him tightly to make him feel better.

"Dean, I am making things worse for you. My brother, and Alastair- What if things go too far? I would not put it past my brother." Castiel knew that worse things were to come if Michael and Alastair wouldn't stop. Castiel had already been physically hurt because of it all. He didn't want to see anything happen to Dean.

Dean hushed Castiel, pulling away. "I'll be fine. I'm tougher than you think." Dean smirked. He poked Castiel on his forehead playfully. "So calm it down, Cas. I'll beat them up if they try anything else." Dean chuckled, playing off the seriousness of the constant attacks as nothing he couldn't handle. He stole a kiss quickly and clapped his hands together. "I really have to get to work. I got yesterday off, but Bobby needs me to work today."

Castiel groaned. "Okay." He headed towards the door, but Dean stopped him suddenly.

"I can spare a few minutes though." Dean's face lit up. He pulled Castiel back over and kissed him passionately. They moved awkwardly until Castiel was against the front door. He ran a hand down Castiel's chest, pausing to feel his beating heart. He then pulled at Castiel's waist, grinding against him. He smiled, looking down at Castiel's growing bulge. "Looks like I'm not the only one excited." Dean plunged his hands into Castiel's shorts and grabbed onto his cock. Castiel's legs trembled as Dean worked him to full hardness.

"Dean, you-" Castiel moaned when Dean pulled at his pants and then they piled at his feet. "You have work." Castiel bucked his hips, jerking himself in Dean's hand. Castiel's needy hands traveled to Dean's jeans and pulled them down past his hips. Dean sprung to life and Castiel grabbed a hold.

"Don't lie. You don't want me to go." Dean bit his bottom lip. "Fuck." They worked each other until Dean fell down on his knees and took Castiel into his mouth. He ran his tongue along Castiel's shaft and palms to perfect orbs just below. Castiel pushed forward into Dean's mouth. His fingers latched onto Dean's blonde hair, moving him smoothly along his cock.

Castiel could feel it coming when his body tensed up. Dean pulled away just in time for Castiel to release his load onto Dean's freckled face. "S-sorry." Castiel wiped Dean's face with the bottom of his shirt. Dean laughed, licking up Castiel's juices. He was still working himself until he exploded into his hand. He stood up shakily. Castiel grabbed his hand and licked the cum from Dean's fingers. They cleaned up, smiling like fools and out of breath.

"I'll be back in a few hours. You can stay here." Dean buckled his jeans and grabbed the keys to the impala. "I'm going to rock your world tonight." Dean winked. Castiel nodded, his head was still fuzzy with euphoria. He collapsed onto a chair at the kitchen table and watched Dean walk out the door.

_I really cannot think when he is around. _Castiel thought happily.

"Check mate." Anna leaned back in her chair and looked down appreciatively at the chessboard. She had corned Gabriel's king piece ending the game. "You're getting rusty, Gabe." Anna put her pieces back in place. Gabriel did the same. He then checked his phone in case his brother called. "How is he?"

"Cas?"

"Yeah, he and Michael seem to be getting into it a lot more lately." Anna recalled the times her youngest brother and older brother fought. The fights were mostly over nothing, but more recently, Michael had pin pointed his rage on Castiel's "sin."

"I think Cas will be fine as long as he and Dean stay together." Gabriel sat back and drank from his glass. "Though I don't know what will happen after summer. Castiel technically isn't required to visit father anymore after his 18th birthday. I doubt he will ever come back. " Gabriel frowned at the thought.

Anna pushed herself out of her seat. "Well, you never know. What if Dean goes with him?" They both thought about it, but the idea was too far fetched for them to believe it could happen. "They've only been dating- what- a week? And can you even call it dating?" Anna paced around the room, running her fingers over the large bookshelf.

"I think they are good for each other." Gabriel tapped his cheek. "But I am a little worried about what's going to happen. Especially with Michael and Alastair messing things up."

"Alastair?" Anna questioned. It was the first she had heard of the guy, though the name sounded familiar.

"Graduated with Dean and I. Some football jock that was friends with Michael before he graduated." Gabriel didn't like the guy. It was one thing for Michael to harass Castiel, but when others started to mess with Castiel, Gabriel got mad. He was close to his half-brother. He was too young, literally a few months old, when Castiel was introduced to the family as his father's son from some woman off in Kansas. He loved him more than he ever loved Michael. "Castiel knocked him out when he started a fight with Dean. Now the guy has some vendetta. Michael is just adding fuel to the fire. I just hope things don't get any worse than they already are."

Anna agreed, nodding at her brother. "Where is Castiel anyways?"

Gabriel laughed. "Where do you think?" Of course, the answer was always at Dean's house. Ann frowned. "Why? You're not leaving again, are you?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Africa this time." Anna revealed. "I'm going on another mission trip, and Michael is coming with me this time."

"Oh, that's great!" Gabriel launched from his chair and clapped his hands together. "Feel free, take him!" Gabriel danced around the room. "Cas is going to be so relieved!"

Anna watched her young brother skip around. She smiled. "That was the plan. I ran it past father and he thought it was a brilliant idea. We're leaving here in a few hours, first plane out of here. So no one has to worry about fights anymore in this house." For the first time in a long time, the Novak household was relieved.

Dean was away at work until it got dark out. Castiel stuck around the house and waited. He made himself some food, as well as some for Dean. When he heard the roar of the Impala roll into the driveway, Castiel placed two dishes onto the table and waited for Dean to come inside. The door handle jiggled and Dean stepped inside. Castiel got a full whiff of oil and gagged.

"Hey, babe." Dean bee-lined towards Castiel, but Castiel sidestepped, avoiding Dean's embrace. He plugged his nose, which got Dean to laugh. "This is the smell of a real man." Dean grabbed onto Castiel and hugged him close, rubbing his oily skin onto Castiel, dirtying him. Castiel squirmed, but couldn't get free. The stench traveled over onto him.

"Dean! Take a shower." Castiel commanded. He pushed away from Dean, but it was too late. His shirt was greased and he stunk like a garage like Dean. He pulled at his shirt, grimacing at the smell.

Dean smirked. "Take a shower with me." He winked, pulling off his dirty shirt and heading up the stairs. Castiel looked back at the food on the table, then at the stairs.

The food could wait.


	21. Dean, Are You Bleeding?

_It was dark out that night and a little cold for a summer night. Jo and Charlie hooked arms and walked towards the Impala, getting inside. They knew Dean was tough enough to handle anything. Castiel followed them, but looked back to see Dean walking slowly towards them. "Dean? You okay?" Castiel waved him over, but something was wrong. From what Castiel could see through the darkness, Dean was clutching his side. When he came within the light of the lamppost, Castiel's eyes widened. "Dean! Are you bleeding?" Before Castiel could reach him, Dean collapsed to the ground. "DEAN!"_

That morning, Dean lazily rolled over on his small twin bed and bumped face first into Castiel. He smiled, pushing back Castiel's dark hair from his forehead and kissing him. They were cramped on the small bed, but it was the closest thing after they got out of the shower. Dean ran his fingers down Castiel's bare skin, watching goose bumps rise on his lover's skin. Castiel grumbled and moved closer to Dean on the bed. Dean wrapped an arm around Castiel's waist and pulled his naked body closer to him under the sheets. "Mornin'"

Castiel blinked his eyes open and smiled when he saw Dean. "Good Morning." He yawned, squeezing his eyes shut, and then stretched out. It was a good thing Dean was holding onto him, because he almost fell off the small bed. Dean chuckled and pulled him in for another kiss. Castiel melted into the motion. When Dean pulled away, Castiel's eyes were closed and he had dozed off again. Dean unhooked himself from Castiel and looked over at his alarm clock. It was ten in the morning. Dean groaned. _Why do I do this to myself on a Saturday morning?_ Dean sat up and rubbed his neck a few times before forcing himself off his bed. He rummaged through his drawers for a fresh pair of boxers and slipped them on. He trekked downstairs to make himself something to eat when he saw the plates of food on the kitchen table. He laughed since he and Castiel were supposed to eat those the night before, but other things got in the way. He picked the plates up and threw the food in the trash. He placed the dishes in the sink and then opened the cupboard to grab a box of cereal and a bowl.

Dean ate silently by himself in the kitchen until it was around ten thirty. He had to get dressed for the day. Bobby needed him to come in for a few hours that day. Dean decided in the morning was the best idea since Castiel would be sleeping for the most part. Dean jogged back upstairs to his room and grabbed some work clothes. Castiel turned on the bed and looked up at Dean. "Work?" He asked while he pulled Dean's comforter tighter around himself.

"Yeah, I'll be back around-" Dean figured the amount of work he had left to do. "-two or three?" He pulled his shirt over his head and grabbed the keys to his car. He was out the door before Castiel could say goodbye. Castiel snuggled into Dean's pillow, taking in the scent of Dean. He fell back asleep.

Dean grabbed his phone from the countertop and checked it unconsciously. The screen was lit up with a missed call and texts. The notifications were from the night before when Dean was busy with Castiel.

From 'Jo'

_Hey Dean! Charlie is back in town again this weekend! There is this dance place she wanted to go to. Do you and Cas want to go? *Hunter Girl *_

Dean read the other texts.

From 'Jo'

_It's a gay bar! AH!_

From 'Jo'

_Doesn't that sounds fun?_

Dean rolled his eyes and quickly shot a text back to Jo. _I'll ask Cas later. DW._

The more Dean thought about going out that night, the more excited he got. It was a new occurrence for him to be excited about going out to a club. He had gone to Ellen Harvelle bar before, but nothing as out there as a gay bar. Dean finished his work up quickly and efficiently. "I'll see you Monday, Bobby." Dean yelled towards the back of the garage. Bobby popped his head up from under the hood of a car he was working on.

"Where are you off too, boy?" Bobby grumbled out. He stood back from his car and looked over at Dean's work. He was impressed that Dean got everything done. "Well then." Bobby shut the hood of Dean's car project. He smiled at his almost-son and patted him on the shoulder. "I hear your parents and Sam are coming home by the end of the week."

"Yeah." Dean murmured.

"You don't sound all that excited about it." Bobby rolled his eyes. "Did you get all of that crap off the front of the garage?" Bobby had seen the graffiti and was the one who told Dean is was all over the garage. It was the first he had heard of hate crimes in his town, and he had lived there for most of his life. Although, it was also the first time he had known of any gays in town. Unfortunately, one of which was his own family, which got him worried for Dean's safety.

"Yeah, Cas came over and helped out. I don't think Dad will notice anything." Dean tapped his booted foot on the ground, antsy to get back home to Castiel. "And I'll kick the snot of out of anyone who tries to do anything again." Dean rammed his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Don't worry about it, Bobby." Dean turned on his feet. "Do you need me tomorrow?" He asked, while walking away from the garage.

"I'll see you Monday. Go have fun doing- whatever you do." Bobby waved Dean off and went back to working on the car at the back end of the garage. He opened the hood and smiled when he heard the Impala roar out of the graveled driveway.

Dean quickly made his way back to his home where Castiel was waiting for him. He pulled his car in the driveway next to Gabriel's car (which Castiel drove over to his house.) Dean was just about to get out of the car when he heard something hit the back window of the Impala. Then another hit came. Dean looked back and saw a chip in the window. "Son of a bitch!" Dean raced out of his car and looked at his back window up close. He then looked around and saw a rock next to his car on the concrete. He picked it up and glared at the piece of earth. Then something hit his head hard. He cringed at the sudden pain in the back of his skull. "What the fuck?" Dean whipped his head around and saw a large pick up truck speed off down the road with a bunch of laughing twits inside. Dean rubbed the back of his head and then took a look at his precious Impala. "I'm sorry, Baby. They're not going to hurt you again." He ran his hand tenderly over the trunk.

"Dean, are you okay?" Castiel called out. He was standing at the front door and looking out at Dean. "What was that?" Castiel peered out the door down the street. The truck was far out of sight by then.

Dean grumbled. "That dumb ass, Alastair. He's just asking for it." Dean rubbed his head again and followed Castiel into the house. He locked the door behind him just in case Alastair decided to show back up and do some real damage. Dean pulled his dirty shirt off and threw it into the laundry room. Inside, a load of laundry was spinning around in the washing machine. Dean figured it was the sheets from his bed that he and Castiel dirtied the night before. He smirked, remembering every touch and every shudder of breath on his skin. Dean shivered ever so slightly. "Hey, Cas." Dean turned and there he was standing there, ready to hear what Dean was going to say. "Jo texted me and-" Castiel's expression turned sour. "Wanted to invite us out…" Dean raised an eyebrow. "What's with the face, sour puss?" Dean grabbed Castiel's cheek and pinched it like a grandma would to her grandchild.

"No offence, Dean. But I am not very fond of Jo."

"What? Why?!" Dean was blown away. Castiel hadn't known Jo that long, about as long as he knew Dean. And Jo was Dean's best friend, so there was no way that Dean could comprehend as to why Castiel didn't like Jo.

"Let me rephrase. I am not found of _you_ and Jo."

"Oh." Dean awkwardly stood there. "Uh-"

Castiel rolled his eyes, stepping away. "But she wanted to invite us where?"

"This club downtown a little ways. It would be you, Jo, Charlie, and me. Charlie found the place I guess. It's-uh- it's a gay bar." Dean hoped for he best. Dean picked up that Castiel wasn't much of a partier and wasn't sure if a gay bar would have even crossed Castiel's mind on things he wanted to do on the weekend. Also, Dean had never been, since he had never been with a guy before. A gay bar never crossed his mind as well. "We don't have to go, I mean-"

"Let's go." Castiel suddenly said. He stepped forward and leaned against Dean. "I want to go. With you." Dean smiled brightly and kissed Castiel. A small smile appeared on Castiel's lips. "We'll have fun." Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist and rocked their bodies together. "We will dance." Castiel said softly. "And no one will judge."

Dean nodded his head in agreement. "I can totally make out with you in the middle of everyone. This is going to be awesome." Castiel rolled his eyes again, only making Dean smile even more. Before Dean ran up the stairs to clean off the grunge from work, he grabbed Castiel's face and smacked his lips against Castiel's. He pulled away, glancing up and down Castiel's soft-looking face. Dean's heart was so full of love for the person in front of him. He had had feelings for other people throughout his life, but the love he felt for Castiel was like none other. "Cas, I'm happy I met you." Dean spoke lovingly. He kissed Castiel once more before heading off up the stairs.

The tension in Castiel's body melted away. He leaned against the wall by the stairs and sighed contently. Dean was his. There was no denying it. They just belonged together and there was no other way around it.

Jo and Charlie showed up at Dean's house later that day, just before the sun crossed below the horizon. The doorbell rang out in the house and pounding came to the door. Castiel raced over and opened up the front door. Jo was taken back a little to see Castiel answering Dean's door. "H-hey!" She stepped inside and quickly gave a hug to Castiel before passing him up. "Where's Dean? Still getting ready?" Jo hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans as she looked around the Winchester household.

"Yes." Castiel said bluntly, allowing Charlie in behind Jo. Charlie caught Castiel's face harden and clasped him on the shoulder as she passed. Castiel looked at her hand and sighed. Charlie had almost the same affect of him as his brother did. It was very calming and reassuring that he had nothing to worry about. "He had been up there for an hour finding a shirt. There is a lot of plaid in that closet, and he did not feel like that was appropriate for where we were going."

"I found _the _shirt." Dean came barreling down the stairs in a tight fitting black t-shirt on and a pair of jeans, more fitted than his normal baggy work jeans. Castiel could really see the bow in his legs that Dean complained about so much, but Castiel loved it. It made Dean, well, more like Dean. "Hey girls." Dean winked at them and grabbed Jo around the waist. He spun her around, watching as her blonde hair fell in curtains over her shoulders. "Lookin' nice." Dean then looked over at Charlie, whose hair was tied up in a high ponytail and was wearing a fun-flared dress with medieval designs on it instead of her usual garb. "Well the gang's all here."

"Let's get out of here!" Charlie threw her arms into the air. She then grabbed Jo by hooking arms with her and pulled her out of the house. Dean latched hands with Castiel and pulled him with him before shutting the house up and leading Castiel over to the Impala. The girls climbed into the back seat, leaving Castiel to sit in the front with Dean. Before Castiel got into the car, Dean wolf whistled at him and winked.

"What?" Castiel raised an eyebrow.

"You're the finest of them all." Dean licked his lips and then slid into the car. Castiel shivered and got in next. Soon they were off, down the road, and onto the highway to get to the club. It was dark out by the time they reached the nearest city where they found the club that Charlie went on and on about while on the way to. A large neon sign lit up the crowded street it was on. Dean parked the impala in a small lot across the way and the four friends got out and raced over.

"Damn, a line." Dean cursed, taking Castiel's hand and going to the end of the twenty people, long line. Jo and Charlie followed. Jo looked around, looking uncomfortable. Charlie merely hooked arms with her again and pulled her along. Jo went along with it. It was better to pretend with Charlie than be the outcast in a gay bar. Soon the line started to move and the bouncer at the front was checking IDs as the line moved. Dean pulled out his and handed it over, it was checked and then the bouncer waved him inside. Dean waited just inside the club for Castiel, Jo and Charlie. His heart was already pumping with excitement.

Inside the club, music was blaring and the bass reverberated in Dean's chest. Once his eyes adjusted to the crazy lights with contrasting darkness, a huge smile appeared on Dean's face. He spun around and grabbed Castiel, pulling him to the dance floor. He looked back, making sure that Jo and Charlie stayed close. Even though he was there to be with Castiel, Dean still kept an eye out on the girls. He was Dean Winchester after all, there was never a time when he wasn't a gentleman. Once on the dance floor, Castiel hooked his arms around Dean's waist and swayed with the music. They're movements were in-tune with each other, bodies' close and heated up. Dean breathed into Castiel's ear. "No one else I would want to be here with."

"I feel the same." A light flashed by them as they kissed, still moving with the music. Castiel leaned his head on Dean's shoulder, until he looked up to see Dean searching the place for something. "Bar is over there." Castiel took a hand off of Dean and pointed across the dance floor. Dean winked at Cas before letting him go.

"Want anything?" Dean asked. Castiel shrugged. He wasn't really one to drink. The camping trip was an exception and even then he didn't drink much. Dean chuckled. "I'll bring you something." He patted Castiel's shoulder before walking over to the girls to ask them if they wanted anything. Dean checked back with Castiel, asking him to stick with Jo and Charlie. Castiel agreed and Dean was off. He returned shortly with his hands full of drinks. He handed them off to everyone as they cheered off to the side of the dance floor and started to drink. A few drinks later, Jo was smashed, hanging onto Charlie for support. Dean was buzzed, as was Castiel, and Charlie was the one Dean trusted with driving the Impala back, so she was done after the first drink.

Dean and Castiel left for the dance floor again, clawing at each other, needing each other's lips. Castiel smashed his mouth against Dean's and pushed his tongue past Dean's parting lips. He licked Dean's teeth, then fought his way inside. Dean responded with his own tongue, swirling around Castiel's slick muscle. They tasted each other's alcohol laced mouths, only parting to breath and then getting back to it. Dean pressed close to Castiel, thrusting with the music's beats. He snaked his hands down through Castiel's hair and then down his neck, grabbing the back of his shirt, wanting it to be gone so he could touch Castiel's soft skin. Castiel pulled his hands away, looking Dean in the eye, telling him without words that their clothing had to stay on. Dean pouted and pulled at the fabric anyways, he tickled Castiel's skin. Castiel shivered, turned his back against Dean and leaning on him. Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel. They continued to sway to the music until Castiel pushed away. He saw the private seating areas across the way and wanted to venture. He pulled at Dean. "Let's go over there."

"But Jo and Charlie-" Dean looked back and saw the Jo and Charlie had gone off on their own quite a while ago. He could still see them and realized that there was no trouble in the club for them. "Okay." Dean let Castiel drag him through the crowd of dancing people. Dean rubbed his thumb over the back of Castiel's hand. Once they got to the seating area, Dean fell to the large cushioned seats. He pulled Castiel down to his lap and kissed him. "This is great, Cas. We should come here more often." Castiel nodded, wiggling in Dean's lap, creating a little friction. Dean smirked and pawed at Castiel' backside. "When we get home, I want to do more than just last night."

"Anything." Castiel blushed. "I'm yours."

"God, Cas. You're amazing." Dean slipped a hand into the back of Castiel's jeans. He grabbed flesh and squeezed. "So sexy." Castiel arched his back, pressing against Dean. His breath got stuck in his throat as Dean worked his hand on his ass. He could feel Dean playing between his gluts. Castiel gasped, grabbing Dean's needy hand.

"Dean, later." Castiel felt hot.

"I want you now." Dean breathed, kissing Castiel's neck and trying to get his hand back to where it was. Castiel locked fingers with Dean and kept his hands still. Dean frowned.

"I promise that later you can do anything to me." Castiel pressed his forehead to Deans and smiled. "Anything." Dean accepted that offer and pulled his hands away. Now all he wanted to do was go back home and have his way with Castiel. He stood up, causing Castiel to hop off of his lap in a hurry. "Want to dance again?" Castiel asked. Dean nodded and brought him back to the dance floor. When the met up with Jo and Charlie again, the girls seemed a little shy with each other, leading Castiel to believe that Charlie made a move, and Jo didn't exactly turn it down. He was delighted with the idea of Jo backing off Dean, but wasn't keeping his hopes up.

"What time is it?" Jo shouted over the music.

Dean checked his watch. "Not even midnight, yet."

"Okay." Jo looked over at Charlie, her face blushed red. "Do you want to head out in like an hour? I have some booze back at my house and my mom is busy at the Roadhouse. We can grab it and go back to your place." The other three thought about Jo's suggestion and nodded. Charlie automatically accepted. Dean looked at Castiel and they bother turned to Jo saying, "yeah." Jo smiled. "So let's leave around one." She hooked arms with Charlie. "Let's get dancing!"

Another hour of dancing and more drinks passed. Jo and Charlie pulled Dean and Castiel out of the crowd towards the door. Dean fingered into his pockets for his keys and tossed them over to Charlie. She snatched them and smiled. The four left the sweaty, rainbow colored club with smiles on their faces. The impala was parked down a little and across the street, so that's where they headed. They passed up the other clubs, which were in full swing. One club was full of scantily clad woman and hulky men. Dean pulled Castiel's close, keeping his safe in his arms. As the couple walked by, they received nasty looks from a few guys. Dean kept his head low, until someone noticed him.

"Hey townie-fag!" A guy called out. Dean whipped around, letting go of Castiel. The alcohol in his system affected his thought process. He glared at the crowds of guys and girls hanging around on the street. Then the call came again. "What are you out with your boyfriend?" Dean pushed through a group of people and found the course of the noise. It was none other than his _best_ friend, Alastair and some of his closest friends.

"Alastair, I hope you're prepared for me to beat you ass." Dean clenched his fists. Alastair smirked at him, and eyed at his buddies to surround Dean. "Just me and you. Man up, Alastair, and put up a real fight." Dean spit at Alastair's feet. The guy waved his friends off and grabbed Dean by the front of his shirt.

"You think you are so tough, you queer." Dean smacked away Alastair's grip. He kept his eyes on Alastair as they paced around each other like animals in the wild. Dean could hear Castiel, Jo and Charlie calling out to him. He merely waved them off, and yelled for them to get to the car. He turned to see Jo and Charlie pulling Castiel back just before Alastair threw the first punch. "You're not welcome here, Winchester!"

Dean stumbled back, wiping the blood from his busted lip. His blood boiled and he lunged forward, tackling Alastair to the ground. They rolled around, throwing punches left and right. The crowd around them dispersed. They didn't wanting to get involved with the brawl. Dean and Alastair picked themselves up from the cold ground. Dean was sporting a cut above his right eye and a busted nose as well as lip. Alastair's left eye was swelling up from a hit he got from Dean. His jaw was also scraped and bleeding from the pavement. They huffed, but continued with the fight anyways.

"Dean! Come on! Just get out of there!" Castiel called. He was far down the street from Jo and Charlie dragging him. "Let's just go home!"

"Yeah, Dean. Why don't you go home and fuck your boy over there." Alastair prodded at his tender skin for a second. He let his hands fall and fists clench up again. "If you're going to sin, sin all out." Alastair spit back at Dean.

"The hell did you say?" Dean growled. He reared back and threw a full force punch into Alastair's face. The two stumbled back towards the alleyway in between two clubs on the street. Skin hit skin and blood was shed on the ground. Dean managed another punch into Alastair's face before he felt a sickening crack in his hand He pulled back and held his hand in place. The punch he threw was a little too rough for his pour hand. He staggered back, holding his broken bones in place. Alastair stood straight. The streetlight only lit up part of the alleyway and Dean could see a gleam of light off a small-reflective surface. Alastair stalked forward, pulling the object out of his pocket.

Dean stepped back, but Alastair was already at him. He grabbed Dean's broken hand smashed it in his grip. Dean yelped, pulling back, although, Alastair kept a hold on him. Dean then felt a sharp pain in his side, something slicing through his skin. Alastair pulled back, letting Dean go while smirking. Dean held his side, feeling warmth dripping from him. He saw Alastair stepping back with a switchblade in his hands. It was covered with Dean's blood. "This is the only way to purge you of this sin." Alastair said with a deep, dark voice.

Dean summoned the rest of his strength and swung his legs around, kicking Alastair in the chest. Alastair flew back and landing on the ground. He groaned as Dean staggered over to him. "I suggest you stop being friends with Michael Novak." He barked. Dean kicked Alastair in the side once more, before stumbling out of the alleyway, clutching his side. No one of the street noticed the blood seeping down his pant leg and dripping to the pavement. Dean saw the parking lot just ahead and saw Castiel standing by the Impala with Jo and Charlie already in the car.

"Dean? You okay?" Dean saw Castiel wave him over. His vision was blurring and he stumbled into the light. "Dean? Are you bleeding?" Castiel was running at him. The last thing he saw was his dark haired loved coming at him with terror in his eyes. "DEAN!"

Castiel got to Dean shortly after Dean fell to the ground. He skidded to a stop on front of Dean's crumpled body and fell to the ground next to him. "Dean. Dean, what happened? DEAN!" Soon, Charlie and Jo were behind him, screaming out for Dean. "He's bleeding, badly. I don't know from where. I think it's his side." Castiel plucked the fabric of Dean's shirt and saw a hole in the black t-shirt. He ripping it open and saw the bleeding gash. "Oh god, Dean." Castiel placed his shaking hands on the wound. He looked up at Jo and Charlie. "C-call an ambulance."

Charlie whipped out her phone and shakily called 911. It automatically picked up. "Yes- Uh- My friend. He's injured. There's a lot of blood. We're on Main Street, just past fifth. He was in a small fight. Yes. Thank you, please hurry." Charlie shut her phone then kneeled down next to Dean along with Castiel and Jo. Jo was breathing heavily, trying to stop her tears.

"I-I'll call Bobby." Jo stood back, pressing her phone to her ear.

Castiel held his hands tight onto Dean's wound. He was managing to stop the bleeding somewhat. "It's going to be okay, Dean." Tears fell from his eyes. "I will make this okay."


	22. It's Been a Long Time Coming

"Cas?" Dean forced his eyes to open. "Oh god." He tried to sit up, but something was holding his head down and his neck was restrained. He felt dizzy and that dizziness churned his stomach. Something was also stuck in his arm, Dean tried to grab for the object, but cried out, remembering his busted hand. "Shit. What the hell is going on?" Dean barked out, his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. He was being prodded at by two uniformed workers and memories flashed through his head.

The club with Castiel. Walking outside. The fight with Alastair. Feeling pain. Seeing the knife.

It was all back. Dean jerked again, trying to free himself from whatever was holding him down. "Dammit. Let me go."

"Mr. Winchester, please stop moving. You're on your way to the hospital. You've been stabbed." Dean stared at the ceiling of the ambulance and registered what the paramedics said. Dean grumbled and kept still until the ambulance pulled into the emergency bay and the back doors of the vehicles opened. The pulled him out of the ambulance and rolled his stretcher into the hospital. Dean was transferred to another bed to be checked out. The doctor on call took a look at his wound.

"Hey, Doc." Dean winked at the attractive female doctor. She rolled her eyes at him and peeled off the gauze that was keeping his wound from getting infected. "Like my battle wound?" Dean hissed at the pain as she applied anti-bacterial spray to the gash and prodded around to see if anything below the flesh wound was hurt.

"Looks like you will be okay with a few stitches. Now let's wrap up that hand and clean up that nasty cut." Dean sighed and let the doctor and a few interns work on him. By the end he was stitched up, casted and cleaned. Dean was then switched to his own room for the police to question him. Dean groaned, wanting the pain medication right away. Things had gone too far, and he regretted going after Alastair, but he needed to let that anger out. Alastair was going down for this. Dean lied back in his uncomfortable, hospital bed. A knock came to his door, and he looked up and then smiled.

"Heya kid." Bobby let out a sigh of relief. He walked into the room slowly, shutting the door behind him. "How ya' feeling?" Bobby gave Dean a once over and grimaced.

"Like crap." Dean croaked. He flashed a weak smile at Bobby and watched as the older man made his way to Dean's bedside. "Got pretty banged up. Who called you?"

"Jo did and I called your parents. They are on their way." Bobby grabbed Dean's shoulder and squeezed. "You're lucky. I told you not to get in these fights because things always end up like this, Dean." Bobby's look was disapproving. He ruffled Dean's hair and pulled a chair up to the side of the bed. "But I'm gonna stay with ya' kiddo. At least until they let me take you home." Bobby's joints creaked as he settled into the seat. "I told the cops to lay off a little. Kept them busy with the news around town about those hate crimes. Your friends are giving their input right now, so get some rest."

Dean could feel his medication settling in his system. "Where's Cas?" Dean thought back to the last time he saw his lover. Castiel was running at him, and then nothing. Dean knew that Castiel was probably freaking out, well, freaking out, but being silent about it.

"I'll tell him you're alive. Now get some sleep, Dean." Bobby ordered. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Dean groaned in protest, but couldn't fight off the drugs anymore. He closed his eyes and drifted into a medicated sleep.

When he woke up there were more people in the room; a nurse to check on his stitches and two police officers along with Bobby. Dean went to sit up, but the nurse shouted at him to lie still in case his stitches decided to bust. When she made sure dean wasn't going to move drastically, she left and the police officer began their questions. Dean told them exactly what happened, not wanting to mess anything up when the law was involved.

"Would you say this was a hate crime?" Asked one of the officers. He gave Dean a weird look. "You know, we don't get many… homosexuals… around these parts." Dean glared at the man in uniform. It was a deathly stare that set the officer back. He cleared his throat. "Would you like to press charges?"

"Yes." Dean knew the fight was over.

"Alright, we can press charges on the man, but I suggest you lay low from now on, Mr. Winchester. There is no need for anymore altercations." The two cops filled out some papers, handing one over to Dean to sign. "You will be contacted with a court date." With that, they left the room. Bobby sighed heavily and sat back down in his chair.

"Well wasn't that a bunch of hollabalooey." Bobby grumbled. "Looks like nothing much is going to be done about this then some typical court crap."

"Yeah." Dean sighed. "Gotta take what you can get, right, Bobby?" Dean tried to laugh, but his stitches pulled and he whimpered. "Can I go home yet?" Dean asked, looking at the clock in the room. It was nearing six in the morning. "Did everyone leave already?"

Bobby shook his head. "The girls took the Impala back to your place. Cas is still here. ." Bobby leaned over to the small bedside table and grabbed the paperwork sitting there. "Here are your discharge papers." Bobby handed the stack of papers over along with a pen. "Doc ordered bed rest and that cast for a few weeks."

Dean groaned, quickly signing the papers as well as he could. His dominant hand was the one in the cast. He scribbled out Dean Winchester. "Can you get Cas?" Dean asked, trying to sit up by himself, but the stitches in his abdomen pulled and he winced at the pain. "The guy probably is going out of his mind." Dean finally managed to get himself sitting up in a semi-comfortable situation. He saw Bobby nod quickly and leave the room. After a few minutes of Bobby being gone, a nurse came in with a wheel chair to check on Dean , take his papers, and unhook him from his IV. Dean thanked her, then the door opened to his room and Bobby walked in, Castiel at his heels.

"Hey Cas-" Dean yelped when Castiel flung himself at Dean, hugging him close. "Stitches! Cas! Stitches!" Castiel instantly let go, jumping back away from Dean.

"I'm sorry." Castiel placed his hands at his side and stared at Dean. His body language showed all the restrain, but his deep blue eyes showed all of his emotion. "I am so sorry." Dean frowned, knowing that Castiel thought that it was his fault he had gotten into it with Alastair. He sighed, but with Bobby in the room, he didn't want to get all emotional.

"Come over here, Cas. Help me up." Dean waves his hands in front of him and Castiel was at his side in seconds. Bobby stepped in to help, taking control of the wheel chair from the nurse and wheeling it over to Dean's bed. Castiel grabbed Dean's forearms, one being casted up to the elbow, as Dean swung his legs carefully over the edge of the bed. Dean placed his care feet on the cold ground. He carefully sat up, feeling dizzy from his medication. "Woah, okay." Dean swayed, but Castiel kept him still. They kept Dean in his boxers, but he was lacking pants and a shirt. Thankfully, Bobby stopped by his house and got him some new clothes. Dean held onto the wall for support and raised one foot at a time for Castiel to slip on a pair of basketball shorts. After that effort, Dean sat safely on the wheel chair. The next step was getting a shirt over Dean's head and his arms pulled through the sleeves.

"Tell me if it hurts, okay?" Castiel cautiously pulled Dean's arms through the sleeve of his shirt. Dean winced slightly, but didn't say a word. He sat back in the wheel chair and let out the breath he had been holding the entire time. Bobby then wheeled him out of the room and down the hall. Castiel kept a hand on Dean the entire time, not wanting to let him go in fear that Dean would be hurt again because of him. Dean looked up at Castiel and tried to smile, but he sense Castiel was really upset about the whole situation.

"Do you know if they caught Alastair?" Dean asked, looked up at both Bobby and Castiel. "I got him pretty good. I don't think he would be running off that fast."

"They got him." Castiel said quickly, gripping Dean's shoulder.

"Good, bastard deserves it." Dean sighed with relief. He thought back to the night before when Alastair had brought up sin and a whole bunch of crap. Dean shook his head unconsciously. He just knew that the whole thing was because of Michael. The guy had a vendetta against him and Castiel. Dean wanted to let Castiel know his thoughts on the whole thing, but he figured it would bring unnecessary trouble to Castiel's family and Castiel already had enough of that.

On the way home, Bobby cleared his throat. "Dean, Your parents and Sam are a few hours out. I'm gonna stay with you until they get back." Bobby cleared his throat as he pulled into the Winchester's driveway. He leaned over his front seat and looked back at the boys. "They're gonna wanna know what happened." He stared at Dean especially.

"I know, Bobby."

"You gotta tell them, Dean." Bobby turned back o his steering wheel and pulled his keys from the ignition. Dean audibly sighed, his breath hitching at the end as a sting of pain rain up from his abdomen. Bobby frowned. "Let's get you inside." Bobby stepped out of the car and went to Dean's door. Castiel quickly got out to help. Dean twitched with annoyance at his body. He wanted to move one way, but it hurt too much. He cursed, biting his lip as Castiel and Bobby got him out of the car and into the house. Along the way Dean admired the impala. At least his baby got home safely.

Once Castiel and Bobby got Dean into the house and up in his bedroom. Bobby decided to leave the two boys alone to talk things out. Even Bobby could sense Castiel's discomfort. He closed the door softly behind him. Castiel fluffed the pillows behind Dean's head and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Come on, Cas." Dean placed a hand on Castiel's. He braided his fingers with Castiel's. "Spill." Dean batted his eyelashes, hoping he would make Castiel loosen up a bit and get everything off his chest. Though, Castiel wouldn't budge. He pursed his lips and pulled his hand away from Dean. He placed his hands in his lap and stared at them. The silence continued. "Cas-"

"Dean-" Castiel looked up. His blue eyes were watery with held back emotions. "When I met you, you were…perfect." Dean smirked, taking Castiel's words as a compliment. Castiel continued. "And now you are broken." Castiel shifted on the bed and leaned over to Dean. He grabbed onto Dean's shift and kissed him passionately. When he pulled back the wetness in his eyes overflowed, streaming down his face. "I have ruined you. I have put you in danger. All of this." Castiel pointed out Dean's injuries. "All of this because I-"

Dean grabbed Castiel's wrist roughly. "Cas, stop." Dean's heart started to race. Castiel pulled away and got up from the bed. "Cas, come on." Castiel started to walk away from Dean, causing the young Winchester to lean forward, reaching out to his love, and pulling at his stitches. "Shit. Cas, sit your ass back down and talk to me." Dean was getting angry. He was angry with himself and with Castiel for placing all the blame on his own shoulders. "Cas, please." Dean held his side and practically cried out for his love. After pleading for Castiel to talk, Dean finally got an answer.

"Dean, you got hurt because of me! If you had never met me-" Castiel bit his lip, trying not to sound heartless, but it was too late by then. "-you would have continued to be _normal." _ Castiel hushed his words, but Dean caught on right away.

"You mean straight." It wasn't a question. Before Castiel could retort, Dean sighed heavily. "Okay, I would probably be out there flirting with girls, but if I had never met you, I wouldn't be the person I am today." Dean stated, pressing his hand to his chest, right over his heart. "I wouldn't be-"

"Bedridden with serious injuries that almost killed you, Dean!" Castiel stomped back, throwing his arms down to his sides. His tears stopped and now he was just pissed, which was something Dean had never see before with Castiel.

Dean sat back and thought of what to say to calm Castiel down. Castiel continued to rant, pacing back and forth in the room, throwing his arms around and rubbing his forehead when he stopped to catch his breath. Dean watched him and knew with each passing moment he was losing Castiel. "Ten times more." Dean whispered, though it was just loud enough for Castiel's ears to catch.

"What?" Castiel paused.

"Ten times more."

"Dean." Castiel's voice was meek. He walked up to the bed, lowering his gaze and looking upon Dean softly.

Dean repeated. "Ten times more. I love you ten times more." Dean reached up with his good hand and grabbed Castiel's hand. He held on like it was the last thing he had to live for. "I love you. This stuff." Dean shook his head. "The fights, the names. I don't care. I love _you._"

Castiel breathed in deeply. He leaned down and kissed Dean sadly. "I know you do, and this is why it is so hard." Castiel pulled away, his blue eyes looking, but not seeing Dean's confused expression. "I have to go." Castiel backed away, and left the room in a hurry. Dean only managed to get up from his bed by the time he heard the front door slam and then footsteps coming up the stairs. Bobby entered the room and saw Dean standing unsteadily.

"Hey, get back on that bed." Bobby ordered, getting to Dean and settling him back down on the bed. "Now what happened? Why did Cas high tail it out of here?"

Dean was in shock. He knew what happened. He didn't want to admit it. "He's leaving…" Dean stated, his eyes vacant. "Bobby, He's _leaving._"


	23. He's Been Gone For, What? A Month? More?

Dean stood in front of the mirror, staring at the pink line of raised flesh on his abdomen. He ran a finger across the scar and sighed. He grabbed his shit from on top his dresser and threw it on before leaving his room behind. Dean rushed down the stairs, around the corner, and flew into the kitchen. His mother was inside. She smiled and handed him a brown lunch bag. "Have fun at work, honey." She stole a kiss on Dean's cheek quickly before Dean rushed out of the kitchen. "Don't work too hard!" She called out just before the front door shut loudly and Dean was gone.

Dean rolled the windows down in the Impala. Bobby's mechanic garage was only just down the street, but a ride in the Impala was always worth it. Especially since Dean had his car rights taken away for the most part of the summer after the fiasco that ended with him in the hospital. Dean tightened his grip on the grooved steering wheel. He turned into Bobby's driveway and parked the car just outside the garage. Bobby was already inside, working on an engine of a particularly beautiful car.

"Hey Bobby." Dean raised his healed hand. It was a shade light than his normal skin tone due to the cast that prevented the sun from tanning him. "What the work for today?" Dean slowly made his way inside. Bobby looked up and smiled, hoping Dean would smile back like he used to, but Dean remained stoic.

"We need to remove this puppy right here." Bobby slapped a hand down on the engine he was working on. "Should keep us busy for the most part of the day."

"Good. I need busy work." Dean automatically picked up the nearest tool and began to check out the engine. He tapped on a few parts and stood back, holding his chin and thinking about the best way to go about removing the hunk of machinery from the car.

Bobby watched Dean. The kid just wasn't the same anymore. He was so open before and Bobby loved that. Dean was ready to fight about anything and stick up for himself, but lately he had been closed off and not wanting to talk to anyone. Bobby wanted to bring that spunk back. "So, summer's almost over, eh Dean? That went y fast." Bobby rubbed his neck and then readjusted his ball cap.

"Yeah." Dean said, prodding around under the hood of the car.

"Already August, Dean..." Bobby wanted to get to the point, but feared that Dean would close off entirely, or worse, run off.

"Yeah. It's hot out isn't it. Typical August weather." Dean wiped the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead. He then started to unbolt a few things around the engine to hopefully get it loose. He then walked over to the small hand crane and dropped the chains over the engine. "Can I have a hand?" He looked up at Bobby.

"Dean." Bobby stood next to Dean, hovering almost. Dean then realized what Bobby was getting at. He glared and pushed away from the car. Bobby stood back, his expression stern. "Have you talked to him?"

Dean scuffed his shoe on the dirty floor od the garage. "No, Bobby."

"Not since-?"

"Not since I got stabbed and he up and left." Dean jabbed. "No, Bobby, I haven't talked to him. I've tried- Oh hell I tried." Dean cleared his throat, holding back the deepest of his emotions. "Cas-" It was hard for Dean to say his name. "Cas left over a month ago. It's August, I don't think he's going to show his face any time soon since he's been gone this long." Dean's face was red from frustration. He clenched his hands into fists at his side. "He's left town for all I know, just like Michael did. Probably went with the ass hat."

Bobby stayed silent, obviously regretting his decision to pry on Dean's feelings about Castiel. "You're young." Bobby reminded Dean. "You've got your whole-"

"Life ahead of me, blah, blah, blah." Dean rolled his eyes. "I know. Can we get back to getting this thing out of the car?" Dean's tone clearly showed that he was done with the conversation.

Bobby cleared his throat. "Right, well- Just making sure you're all fine. I know you dropped those charges against-"

"I'm fine, Bobby!" Dean slammed his hands down on the metal of the engine. His breathing was head and his face was even redder than before. The red really brought out the green in his eyes, which were trying hard to hold back the moisture. "Sorry." Dean said softly. Bobby silently nodded, accepting the apology. They continued to work on the car until the engine was out and they could fix the problem.

Dean cleaned up, washing his hands with the hose right outside the garage. He sprayed his face and shook his head, freeing his hair of any water. He pulled out his phone from his pocket after drying his hands on his shirt. His phone read no messages, something he had gotten used to over the past month and a half. He quickly dialed the number he told himself he would try to call anymore and pressed his phone to his ear.

_"The phone number you are trying to reach is no longer in service…" _ Dean bit his lip. He shut his phone right away, only to get another call right away. The screen lit up with a green phone. It read 'call from 'Jo Harvelle' on the screen. Dean groaned. Jo had been trying to call him for days now. Dean knew it was because he shut himself off from the world. He dismissed the call, pocketing the phone.

"Hey Winchester!" Dean jerked upward and looked towards the sound of his name. Jo Harvelle was standing there ten feet away, hip slightly popped. She was irritated by Dean's phone screening. "When someone calls you, ya' know it's common courtesy to answer it." Jo stalked towards Dean. "Where the hell have you been all this time?" Jo barked, grabbing Dean's shirt by the collar before he could disappear into the garage for safety.

"I've been… here." Dean shrugged. "Making money so I can leave this town. Go back to Kansas or something." Dean stood still and Jo let go of his shirt. "I don't know what you want from me, Jo." Dean leaned against the metal siding of the large garage.

Jo rolled her eyes. She leaned against the garage next to Dean. "Charlie misses you. She wanted to set up a Star Wars Marathon, but you've been, well, gone." Dean couldn't help but smile. A Star Wars marathon _did _sound like a great idea. "And Gabe's been wondering why you haven't called him to find out where Cas went." Jo looked up at Dean with bright, wondrous eyes.

"I don't want to know where he is." Dean grumbled, closing himself off again."

"Yeah you do." Jo responded with a mocking tone. "Just give Gabe a call. And come out from this shell you put yourself in." Jo playfully punched Dean in the arm. She pushed away from the metal siding and kicked up from dirt, creating a cloud of dust. "I leave next week." Jo said, hooking her arms behind her back.

"A week?" Dean practically yelled.

"Heh- yeah. That's what you've missed while you've been working your life away." Jo poked Dean in the chest. "So before I head off to college, let's have a day. Just like old times." Dean nodded, feeling better already.

"That sounds awesome." He felt better then, than he had been since Castiel left. He smiled, resting his hand on Jo's shoulder. "Thanks, Jo."

"Yeah, whatever Winchester." Jo winked. "So the next time I call you, don't ignore it." She turned on her healed, breaking from Dean's touch. "I'll see you around, Dean." She called over her shoulder, before heading off to her car.

Dean smiled shyly, before heading back into the garage to continued his work. Inside, Bobby watched Dean work on the car with more care. Bobby smiled knowing that after more than a month of heartbreak, Dean was finally returning back to normal.

Gabriel sat back in the wicker chair on the porch connected to the back of his house. His father sat opposite of him, sipping on a glass of scotch. Gabriel kept checking his phone. Castiel had promised to call him, and Gabriel was awaiting the call.

"You young people and your phones." Mr. Novak grumbled. He leaned forward, placing his glass on the small side table between the two chairs. "Have you heard news from Anna and Michael? They are doing so well on their mission trip." Gabriel's father clapped his hands together with glee.

"Sounds awesome, Dad." Gabriel rolled his eyes. His father dismissed the look. Gabriel's tone was unenthusiastic, but his father still boasted on about his eldest prodigy children. Suddenly Gabriel's phone rang out and he leapt up from his chair. "Excuse me." Gabriel walked off towards the back of his family's property. "Hey, Cas! How's it going?" Gabriel chirped into his phone.

_"Things are better, Gabriel. My mother says hello and wished you well."_

Gabriel pursed his lips. He didn't know how he felt about Castiel's mother wishing him well. The woman didn't exactly bring happiness to his family. Gabriel wasn't regretting having an amazing brother like Castiel; he was only regretting his father's actions when he brought home a newborn just shortly after Gabriel was born. "Tell her thank you." Gabriel said with courtesy.

_"I will. How is everyone there?"_ Castiel's voice was laced with shyness. Gabriel could feel the anticipation for an answer leaking through the phone.

"You mean, how is Dean?" Gabriel smirked, huffing into the phone. "Dean is okay for all I know. No one had been able to get a hold of him, but I got in contact with his brother, Sam. That kid is pretty smart. You'd never believe-" Gabriel spoke with admiration.

_"What did Sam say about Dean?"_

Gabriel frowned, recalling the conversation. "-Said that Dean's been working a lot, but he healed up pretty well. Can't say the same for his heart. I know you think you did the best thing, Cas, but you shouldn't have left."

_"I don't need this from you, Gabriel."_

"Why don't you call him? I'm sure he's been trying to get a hold of you." Gabriel held his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he leaned down and picked up a rock. He tossed it into the field behind his home. "Do you still have his number? I could give it to you again if-"

_"Gabriel, please don't make this h-harder for me." _Castiel's voice cracked mid sentence. _"I left for Dean to have a normal life, where he wouldn't get hurt because of me."_

"He's healed, Cas." Gabriel reminded his brother. "I don't think Dean can be taken down from a little incident."

_"He could have died." _Castiel said bluntly. _"I have to go. Please just drop this." _The call ended with a bleep. Gabriel dropped his phone from his ear. He groaned. His brother was being so unreasonable. It was no good having both people in the relationship be out of their minds. Dean was boxed up, and Cas was running away from the problems. Everything was turned upside down and Gabriel just wanted it to be fixed. He picked up his phone again and called Dean.

"_Hello?" _Dean answered.

"Hey, Dean. It's Gabe. So here's the thing." Gabriel smiled. He created the plan in less than a minute. "Ready to go on a road trip? I can tell you one place. Topeka, Kansas. Go on an get in that car and go get him!" Gabriel sang into the speaker. He received silence, and then Dean cleared his throat.

_"Um, are you alright, Gabe?"_ Dean asked.

"Cas is in Topeka! You can get him back." Gabriel restated his earlier words with more clarity. He received more silence from Dean. "I figured you would like to know."

_"Thanks. I have to get back to work."_ The call suddenly ended and Gabriel looked at his phone in shock. It looked like not only Castiel was running away from his problems.

"Great." Gabriel slouched. He leaned down and picked up another stone, tossing it out of his way. "Just Great."


	24. Operation Get Dean and Cas Back Together

Dean dropped his phone to the ground, not even flinched as it hit hard and cracked the screen. He rammed the palms of his hands to his eyes, fighting away the irritation. He groaned, running his hands from his eyes to his hair, where he grabbed considerably sized chunks of summer blonde and pulled. He turned in a half circle, then back to his original position. He looked for the closest thing to punch, anything. He just needed something. _Why? After all this time? Why would Gabe call me and tell me where Cas is?_ Dean began to wonder. "KANSAS OF ALL PLACES!" Topeka wasn't far from his parent's summer vacation home. That reason alone made Dean want to just go and get in the Impala and drive. It was less than a day's drive away. Dean knew he could do it, but seeing as Gabriel was the one who spilled the beans. "Cas doesn't want to see me." Dean felt defeated. It would have been different if it were Castiel who called him and said where he was.

"What is all the ruckus?" Bobby stormed into the area Dean was working. He saw Dean in an overall freaked out state and approached cautiously. "Pick your phone up, boy." He ordered. Dean nodded, picking up his now broken phone. He cursed when he saw the screen. Though, it still worked. "Now what's up?

"I know where he is." Dean admitted. "Topeka."

"Well balls." Bobby huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "What are you thinking?" He saw Dean pacing back and forth, hands still grabbing his hair and a nervous sweat glistening the back of his neck.

"I- I don't know." Dean let his hands fall to his sides as his shoulders slouched. He leaned against the workbench in the garage and sighed. "I'm not going." Dean decided. Bobby looked surprised, not seeing that reaction from Dean after finding out where the guy's love disappeared to.

"Alright."

"Yeah." And the conversation ended, much to Bobby's displeasure. They each went back to their respected work until Dean was ready to leave and waved goodbye to Bobby. "I'll see you tomorrow." Dean said, as per usual, after a long day of work. Bobby was going to accept Dean's constant working, it meant a lot of things were getting done, but Bobby wanted Dean to have a day to himself, heck, a week if need be to get the boy out to Kansas to get back Castiel.

"There's not much to do here. Take tomorrow off." Bobby waved Dean away.

"But-" Dean started

"Tomorrow. Off." It was now an order. Dean rolled his eyes, knowing the reason behind Bobby's command. He waved goodbye to the old man and left the garage with a new look on his life. He had the option of going for it, or keeping Castiel in his past. Dean opened the door to the Impala; the door gave out a satisfying creak. Dean hopped inside the slick, black car and rode down the street, back home, on the way not knowing exactly what he was going to do about the newly acquired information he received.

"So here's the thing." Jo said, leaning her elbows on the glass countertop at the gaming store. She smiled at Charlie and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Dean is being a fussy little child. I swear I think he's the younger brother in that family more than Sam is." Jo blew out a large breath and groaned, pushing away from the counter.

"The ship has sailed, Jo. I think those two will eventually get back together. They were- well at least I think they were, really good together. Gabe was talking about how Cas never came out much until Dean." Charlie shrugged, noticing Jo's discomfort with the whole Dean and Castiel thing even though it had been a thing for a while.

"Ugh, I really do hope they get back together. I think I liked it better when they were together more than having Dean being single and an ass face and ignoring everyone because Cas is gone." Jo went to walk around the gaming store. She picked up a Game case and took a look. "You don't own this one right?" She asked.

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "_Own. _no. Downloaded yes." She let out a short laugh, which was silenced when her boss walked into the front of the store from the back office. "Oh, hey Chuck." Charlie said nervously. Chuck rolled his eyes at the girl. He raised a hand, waving at Jo. She had been around the store more often, so he had gotten to know her.

"Hey Chuck. Want to help us in operation: get Dean and Cas back together?" She asked, setting the game case back on it's shelf and organizing a few things before leaning back on the counter next to Charlie again. "It's for a good cause."

"Heh- no thanks." Chuck smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been working on this new book series. Can't help. Sorry." His blue eyes were truly apologetic and he looked overall very tired. "My publisher is getting at me trying to rush the process of writing." With that, Chuck grabbed a few things from around the store for inspiration and disappeared back into the office behind the cashier counter.

"So what can we do about Dean and Cas?" Charlie asked, once the coast was clear with Chuck, who didn't mind the gossip in the first place, was gone. "I guess Gabriel has been keeping in touch with Castiel." Charlie tapped her chin. "We can get together with him soon and try and work out a plan." Charlie whipped her phone out and shot a quick text over to Gabriel.

"It has to be _soon_ soon. I leave next week for school, remember?" Jo tapped her fingertips on the counter.

"Yeah, don't remind me." Charlie grumbled, not happy that Jo was leaving. "It's too soon. The summer didn't last long at all." She frowned, strumming her fingers on the glass countertop as well. "You'll come back, right?"

"Of course!" Jo smiled, laying her hand on top of Charlie's and rubbing a thumb over the soft skin of Charlie's hand. "Don't worry about it." Jo winked and pulled back her hand. Charlie gave a geeky smile and then clapped her hands together.

"Let's get over to Gabriel's house and commence operation: get Dean and Cas back together!" Charlie checked out the register, said goodbye to Chuck in the back and got out form behind the counter. She hooked arms with Jo playfully and then they were out of the building.

Dean stepped up to the front door of his house and blew out a deep breath before stepping inside. It was like a ton of brick hit him straight on after he learned about Castiel's whereabouts. He groaned, not wanting to call Gabriel back, but if he wanted more insight on what was going on with Castiel, then he had too. Dean kicked his dirty shoes off onto the mat by the door and slouched into the kitchen to eat whatever was in the fridge. He managed to grab a handful of things and place them on the counter before his little brother came zooming around the corner and into the kitchen. He knocked face first into Dean.

"Watch it Sam!" Dean growled, slathering on peanut butter and jelly onto some bread. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Dean smacked the two pieces of bread together and took a bite. He waited for Sam's response while chewing.

"I-I'm going to hang with a friend." Sam sounded nervous. Like he was hiding something. "It's none of your business anyways." Sam huffed, grabbing a hand full of chips from he bag Dean had set on the countertop. "See ya." Sam took off before Dean could question him further. Dean ignored his brother, thinking Sam was up to his stupid antics again, but little did he know that his little brother was trying to get him to his senses again as much as the others were.

Sam ran down the sidewalk over to the Harvelle household. He was practically out of breath by the time he got there, but thankfully, Ellen was there to give him a glass of water. "Thanks, Ellen." Sam gulped down the cool water and waited for Jo and Charlie to show up from Charlie's work. Soon the car pulled in and Jo honked for Sam to get in the car. Sam handed the empty glass over to Ellen and jumped into the car.

"Hey Jo." Sam smiled. He always thought Jo was very pretty. "Hi Charlie." Sam equally smiled at Charlie who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Jo backed the car up, honking at her mother. They were all in on it. The operation to get Dean and Castiel back together was in full swing. Now all they had to do was get to Gabriel's across town and figure out what to do next.

Sam was excited to meet up at Gabriel's house. He had talked to Gabriel before over the house phone. Basically, Gabriel needed information on how Dean was doing, which annoyed Sam to no end, but with some more talking with Gabriel, Sam found that he was beginning to like the guy more and more. Also, Sam felt bad for his brother. Dean usually retaliated when Sam pulled a joke or said something nasty. Dean did nothing of the sort, and it just made the summer less fun than before when he and Dean got along in a normal brotherly way.

"So Sam. How have things been? You've grown pretty tall this summer." Jo said, glancing in her rear view to see the kid with a mop of hair on his head sitting in the back seat. "How's that Ruby girl?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam's face reddened. "I-I haven't talked to her." Sam shyly lowered his head and stared at his lap. Jo chuckled, as did Charlie. Sam groaned. "How much longer until Gabriel's house?"

"Almost there." Charlie chirped from the front seat. They soon pulled into the long driveway towards the large house. Sam lit up when he saw Gabriel standing on the front part of the wrap around porch. He waved as Jo pulled the car up the driveway and came to a stop just in front of the equally large garage. Sam was the first to get out of the car, Jo and Charlie following behind his lanky figure.

"Hey Gabriel!" Sam smiled brightly. He stood in front of Gabriel, almost catching up to his height.

"Hey there, Sammy." Gabriel patted him on the shoulder and then walked past Sam to get to the girls. Gabriel welcomed them all inside. Sam felt so young compared to the rest of the group. He followed behind them, keeping his eyes on Gabriel, enticed in his golden hair, a richer color than Jo's. They made their way into the house and Gabriel led them into the living room. "Parents are gone. So it's basically just us here."

"Good. So what's the plan?" Jo asked as she sat down on the smaller couch, Charlie next to her, filling the space up. There was a larger couch where Sam took a seat near the armrest of it. Gabriel walked over to the couch as Sam watched him. Sam scooted over closer to the armrest. Gabriel sat next to him and leaned forward.

"So we have Dean here and Cas in Kansas. I told Dean that Cas is in Topeka, but never got a response after that." Gabriel hissed through his teeth. "Not sure if I should have told him that."

Sam sat silently and watched the group discuss how his brother was feeling about the whole situation. But none of them really knew. They didn't live with Dean. "Hey guys." Sam said softly, silencing the group. "Dean needs to go to Kansas."

"We know. We're trying to get him to go, Sam. That's the whole point." Jo then went on about different plans on how to get Dean to go on a little road trip. Sam huffed and spoke up again.

"You don't understand, guys. He _needs _to go to Kansas. He's not happy here." Sam took a deep breath. He usually never talked about his brother seriously with others, but the moment was needed. "I share a room with Dean, so when the little light of his phone shines when he is thinking about calling Castiel, it keeps me up. You should have heard the voicemails earlier on. Dean's not the same." Sam was sad for his brother. "I just want my brother back." He frowned and leaned back on the couch. "So he needs to go, and the sooner the better. So we need a plan, you guys. Anything I can do to help, I will."

Jo and Charlie stared at Sam with wide eyes, not knowing that Sam cared so much. "This plan has to be full proof."

Gabriel shot up from his seat, scaring both Sam and the girls. "I got it! It's a bit cruel. But I got it!" He fisted the air with excitement and then laid out the plan for the others. They were a little apprehensive about it, but it was a valid excuse for Dean to get his ass to Kansas and get his man back.

A few days passed since the incident of Gabriel calling Dean and revealing the location of Castiel, the long last boyfriend. Dean had made up his mind. He did not want to go to Kansas. Not only would he be questioned by his parents about where he was going, there was no way his father would let him take the impala on a day long road trip.

Dean lied back on his bed, arms flopped over the side of his bed. He hadn't been at the garage for days. Bobby told him to chill out for a few days. That irked Dean even more. He didn't even have work to keep his mind off of Castiel. Dean snapped his phone shut after turning it off for the night. He curled over onto his side and tried to sleep off the rest of his night. He looked over to Sam, who was staring at his Gameboy.

"Sammy?" Dean called out throughout the darkness.

"What, Dean?" Sam said, pausing his game and looking over to his brother.

"When do you start school?" It was random, but Sam was basically the last person he could really have a conversation with that didn't end up with them talking about Castiel.

"Next Monday." Sam said, going back to his game. That was the basis of their conversation. Dean sighed, closing his eyes. He then heard Sam get up from his bed, set his game down, and walk over to the door sluggishly. "Bathroom." He mumbled, shutting the door behind him.

Sam walked down the hall, past the bathroom and down the stairs to go into the kitchen. He looked around, watching out for his parents. It was pretty late, and he didn't want to get in trouble for talking on the phone, but the coast was clear and he continued with the plan. Sam pulled out a slip of paper that had a number scribbled onto it. He picked up the house phone and quickly dialed the number.

_"Hello? Sam?"_ It was Gabriel who answered the phone.

"Hey. Dean turned his phone off for the night. What's plan B?" Sam asked, still keeping an eye out for his parents or even Dean in the house.

_"I'll call your house."_

"What about my parents waking up?" It was a legitimate fear.

_"It'll make it seem more real."_

"Oh, okay." Sam heard a thump on the stairs and a light turn on at the first landing. "I gotta go. Lets hope this works." Sam hung up the phone and quickly grabbed a glass from the cabinet. He looked up when his father walked into the kitchen. "Hey, dad."

"Sam, what are you doing down here?" John asked, leaning against the open doorway of the kitchen.

"Uh, getting something to drink before bed." Sam raised his glass of water to his lips, sipping it. John raised an eyebrow and moved out of the way as Sam pushed past him and went upstairs to bed. When he returned to the room, Dean was fast asleep. He snuck quietly to his bed and lied down, awaiting for the plan to commence.

After an hour, then two, and finally the third, Sam found that he couldn't help but let his heavy eyelids fall and his body succumb to sleep. He snoozed lightly for another hour before he heard the house phone ring out loudly. Sam sat up groggily and looked over at Dean who had rolled over and growled at the sudden annoyance at four o'clock in the morning. The two brothers stared at their door and listened to the phone ring. It stopped after a few rings, but soon after started up again.

Dean and Sam could hear their father come stomping down the hallway. He was cursing up a storm at the phone for ringing at that time in the morning. Then they heard their mother trying to calm John and ultimately winning. "I'll get it honey." Sam and Dean sighed when their mother looked into their room and told them to go back to bed.

Dean lied back down, but Sam stayed up. He waited for it. After a grueling fifteen minutes, Mary made her way back up the stairs. She stopped at the boys' room. "Dean, honey." She was talking softly and in a way that the brothers knew something bad had happened.

Dean shot up from his bed. "Yeah mom?"

"What's going on mom?" Sam asked, although he knew.

Mary stepped into the room and then sat down on the edge of Dean's bed. She took his hand in hers, as a calming technique. Dean just looked at her with more confusion. "Dean, that was your friend, that nice Novak brother. The blonde one, Gabriel." She rubbed her hand over Dean's trying not to ensue panic in her oldest son. "He called because of his brother-"

"What about Castiel?" Sam asked, busting into the conversation. Dean shot a glare over to Sam, silencing the younger.

"Mom, what's going on?" Dean was getting nervous. He pulled his hand away. Gabriel was annoying with his constant trying to get Dean to come around and for him and Castiel to get over their troubles, but this was different.

"Dean, Castiel has been in a car accident. Gabriel wanted to call you since it was fairly bad and his brother is not in good condition." Mary looked at her son, hoping he would take the news easily. Dean stared wide-eyed back at her. The gears in his head clicked into place. He shot up from his bed, scaring his mother. He ran to his closet, grabbed whatever clothing he could and shoved them into a duffle bag. He ripped his phone from his charger and tried turning it on as fast as possible. His heart was racing at a million miles a minute. Dean grabbed a few more things before shoving his feet into shoes and heading for his door.

"Mom, I have to go. I have to go now." Dean was frantic. Mary stood up quickly. Dean was ready to leave it all behind. He looked at his phone and saw missed calls from Gabriel.

"Hold on, Dean." Mary left the room, hurrying down the hall. She returned with her purse. She dug through it and handed Dean some money. "Please be careful. Here's some money for gas." Mary grabbed the sides of Dean's face and kissed his forehead. "I hope your friend it alright." Dean nodded and ran down the stairs and out the door. Not before long, the Impala's engine roared to life and Dean was gone.

Sam sighed with relief. He smiled at his mom. "Thanks mom."

Mary sat down, exhausted. "That was a very harsh thing to do. I don't ever want to see Dean look that terrified again." She frowned, but shook off the bad feeling. "He really does love this boy though?" She asked, looking over to Sam who was still smiling.

"I really think he does." Sam yawned. Mary smiled and walked over to Sam to kiss him goodnight. "Night, mom."

"Night, Sammy."


	25. Will You Come With Me?

Dean cursed, as he couldn't get a hold of anyone. He called Gabriel with no answer. He didn't know where he was going exactly, he just knew that Topeka, Kansas was in his eyesight. He pushed on the gas pedal, accelerating the Impala down the highway. Dean was grateful for all the trips to Kansas in the summer that his family took. He meticulously remembered the way there in hopes that he would one-day return, since he loved it there. He never imagined he would be there to spend the possible last moments of the life of the person he loved.

Dean gripped the steering wheel tightly. He passed up the few cars that were on the highway. It was early in the morning, and he had about ten more hours to go of driving. Sooner or later he had to stop in order to not drain himself low and crash the car on the highway due to exhaustion. After three more hours of driving and crossing the borders out of North Carolina and Virginia, Dean stopped at a gas station in Lexington, Kentucky. He pulled the Impala into the gas station and parked her at a pump. It was around seven in the morning and Dean knew he had to call his mother to let her know he was okay and not in some ditch on the side of the road somewhere.

"Hey mom."

_"Dean, honey. Where are you?"_ Mary soundly very worried for her son. _"Are you stopping for gas? Have you heard anything about your friend?" _She was surely playing out her part in the whole scheme. Dean sighed loudly, telling her he had heard nothing and was only in Lexington for gas and a bathroom break. _"Eat and Drink something, Dean. And call me again when you stop next. You're father wasn't pleased that you left, but I calmed him down, so don't worry about him."_

Dean sighed with relief. "Thanks mom, I'll call you later." Dean hung up and then quickly dialed up Gabriel, hoping for the guy to answer his phone. His wishes were answered when Gabriel picked up the line. "Gabriel, finally, how is Cas doing? Have you heard anything?" Dean ran into the building for the gas station and paid for his gas while grabbing a few other things for the long car trip ahead of him. He gave a short smile to the cashier and was on his way, while holding his phone closely to his ear. He climbed back into the impala, holding his phone between his shoulder and his ear as he turned the ignition.

_"He's still in pretty bad shape."_ Gabriel lied, continuing his plan as, well, planned. "_Where are you?"_ He asked.

Dean rolled out of the gas station and headed down the highway, keeping on track with his trek across the states to get to Kansas. "Lexington. At least ten more hours." Dean's heart sank at the sheer amount of time it would take him to get to Castiel's side. _Please, Cas. Be okay when I get there. _Dean hoped.

_"Damn, okay. I tried getting a plane out there, but everything is all booked and I can't get there. You have to hurry, Dean._" Gabriel was playing his part well. He was very good at tricking people, and even though it was cruel, the stunt was getting Dean to Kansas.

"Which hospital is he in?" Dean stepped on the gas, accelerating down the highway. "I don't know Topeka very well, only Lawrence." Dean cursed when he heard his phone bleep with the tone that signaled it was about to die. "Shit. Phone's dying, Gabe?"

_"Uh- well- I have his address, you can go there. His mom should be there."_ Gabriel faltered slightly. He didn't know the names of any hospitals in the Topeka area and his plan was lacking research backup. "Yeah."

"Why wouldn't his mom be with him?" Dean slowed down. His phone bleeped again. "Gabriel, you better not be fucking with me." It took little time for Dean to catch on to it all.

_"Just go to his house and someone will be there to get you to the hospital to see him."_ Gabriel said again. "_His address is-"_

"Dammit, Gabriel. I am not going to his house, that's a waste of time. Just tell me which damn hospital he is in!" Dean yelled into the phone, swerving slightly on the road. He slowed down and eventually came to a stop on the edge of the highway. When Gabriel stammered, Dean almost threw his phone. "Is Cas even in the hospital?" Dean asked seriously. Gabriel stayed silent. The gig was up.

_"You're already a third of the way there..." _Gabriel reminded Dean.

"You've got to be kidding me. He's fine? No car crash?" Dean punched the dashboard of the Impala. "Gabriel. When I get back I am going to kill you."

_"Dean, just go see him."_ Gabriel whined. "_Please, do it for all of us."_

"You're dead, Novak. You got my mom involved too? She knows? What the hell, man?" It took everything in Dean to not throw his phone out of the window and run it over multiple times with his car. His phone bleeped again, almost out of battery. He took one last look at his cracked screen before snapping it shut and hanging up on Gabriel. He put the car in drive and made a U-turn on the highway, kicking up dust onto the asphalt and hightailing it back to Raleigh, North Carolina. He heard his phone buzz on his passenger seat and he ignored the message, most likely from Gabriel.

The highway was fairly clear for the early part of the morning. It was nearing nine thirty and Dean was a little less than half way back home. He passed colored cars and then passed a pick up truck, with rusted rims, and a haul that made Dean cease everything and finally think for a moment. In the back of the pick up, there were several camp chairs, and tents. Along with duffle bags and a bicycle. Right there, in front of him, was all the camping gear needed for a fun weekend. Memories of his own camping trip flooded back to him. The first time he bumped into the curious blue-eyed boy. Meeting Castiel. Saving Castiel. Kissing Castiel. Loving Castiel. Ultimately belonging to Castiel.

Dean pulled off onto the next exit and pulled into a grocery store parking lot. His breathing was heavy and he pressed his forehead to his steering wheel. "Dammit." Dean clenched his teeth and punched his dashboard once more. _He left me. He's not worth it. _Dean told himself over and over as he felt his jaw start to hurt form the pressure he put there. He slapped a hand on the steering wheel and pulled his head away, a red mark on his forehead. _But he is worth it. God dammit, he is. _

Dean heaved a long sigh and cleared his mind. "Topeka it is." Dean groaned, giving into his feelings was not something he had done lately. He looked at his phone for the time and it was nearing lunch. He figured with Cas not actually in danger, he could take the trip at his own pace. He stopped at the nearest food place he could find and relaxed there, while charging his phone and calling his mother to let her know he would be a while.

_"That's great news that your friend is okay." _Mary said chirpily into the phone. Dean rolled his eyes. His mother was clearly still playing her part. Dean could hear Sam in the background telling her to give it up, but Mary persisted. Dean rolled his eyes. _"Take all the time you need, Dean. _

"Thanks, Mom." Dean replied, munching on the small pile of food on the plate in from of him. "Hey mom…."

_"Yes, honey?"_

Dean cleared his throat and rolled his shoulder before he asked his mother, "h-how'd you know?" He was quiet. He didn't want the others around the room hearing his coming out conversation with his mom.

_"The same way I know you like your sandwiches cut into triangles."_ Mary laughed into the phone and Dean was silent for a moment, trying to figure out the meaning behind his mother's words. Mary continued. _"Mothers just know."_

"You don't hate me?" Dean asked timidly, setting his money down on the table for his bill and leaving the restaurant.

_"Dean, I could never hate you. You are perfect in my eyes. Now go and get to that nice, young man, I bet he thinks the same about you as well."_

Dean got into his car and leaned against the steering wheel again. This time he was holding back the tears. "Mom, I love you so much." He managed to choke out between his sobs. "So much." Dean's hands shook with emotion as he held his phone to his ear.

_"I love you two, Dean. Now get going. You don't want to miss out on the moments that count." _Mary said goodbye to her son and ended the phone call. It took Dean a few minutes before he was able to compose himself and get on the road once more. Within a couple hours, Dean had crossed over the Indiana border, and quickly made his way through the sliver of that state into Illinois. It had been a full day of driving and exhaustion was getting to Dean after sleeping for no more than a few hours to last him through the day. The sun was starting to set and Dean could feel his concentration slipping. When he was in a car by himself, driving, there were no distractions to keep him up through the whole process.

"St. Louis... one hundred miles." Dean mumbled as he saw the large sign for the big city as he drove down the dark highway. He passed a lodging sign and food places as well and decided that was all he could do for the night. He would get to Topeka the next day. The nearest rest stop was a mile down the highway and Dean drove the Impala towards the back of the parking lot. He parked his baby and got out to stretch his legs. He winced when his side pulled his muscles and stretched his healing scar. The muscles underneath were still healing, but his skin was pretty much fine. He slowly lowered his stretched out arms and sighed. He leaned against the Impala and relaxed until his bladder screamed at him to take a piss. Dean ventured into the bathrooms of the rest stop, then returned to his car and crawled into the back seat, locked the doors, and stuffed his jacket under his head for support. He soon dozed off.

Sam woke up that morning and rolled over on his side. He slung his arm over the side of his bed and looked over. Dean wasn't back home yet, which meant he had gone through with going to Kansas. Sam was glad that things were getting settled and he didn't have to see his brother moping around anymore. Sam stretched in his bed and got up, heading downstairs, only to hear his parents fighting about something. He shyly crept into the kitchen to grab something to eat.

"Dean doesn't need to be driving that far in that car to see some _friend."_ John barked out. He sat at the table with Mary, drinking a large mug of coffee that Sam knew was laced with some sort of alcohol. Sam peered over the small opening in the wall that showed the dining room. Mary was trying to explain, while still keeping her calm composure that Dean was merely, mending his relationship with his friend.

"John, Dean is becoming his own person. We have to let him be." Mary grabbed John's hand tenderly. "It's okay."

"It's not normal. Dean is too close to that Novak boy." John growled, taking his hand away. He pulled a flask from inside his pocket and splashed some strong, smelling, jack into the coffee. He gulped it down, and dropped his coffee cup to the table. "I won't be having one of those flaming homosexuals as a son." John growled. Mary sighed heavily, knowing over the years John had become less and less like he was when she first met him. The financial pressures of marriage, having a house, and having children had hardened the man.

"John Winchester. You love your son, do not be like this." Mary sounded stern. John got up from the table and grabbed his coat from the hooks near the door. "John, don't you dare leave this house without talking with me-" John left, slamming the door. Mary sighed, rubbing her eyes. Sam crept out from the kitchen and sat down at the table with his mother.

"Hey mom." Sam gave his mother a small smile. They sat in silence before Mary finished her morning coffee and got up from the table. She patted Sam on the shoulder before heading off down the hall. Sam twisted in his chair and watched his mom. "You okay, mom?"

Mary turned around. "Oh, I'm fine, sweetie. Don't worry about anything." She smiled, easing Sam's anxieties about his parents fighting. "Do you want to go to the store with me? We can pick out some things to make for dinner." Sam nodded enthusiastically.

Things were okay.

"Ah, dammit." Dean groaned in pain. He pulled himself up from the backseat, rubbing his sore neck and shivering from the early morning chill. He pulled his jacket on and stumbled out of the Impala. He shook the sleep out of his head and yawned. Dean searched the trunk for his bag of things and found that he did, in fact, bring his toothbrush with him in his rush to get on the road. "Yes." Dean whispered while motioning a satisfactory victory fist. He hurried into the bathroom of the rest stop before hopping in his car and making his way towards St. Louis and eventually getting to Topeka. After another full day of driving, this time not rushed. Castiel wasn't in immediate danger. Dean was going to take his time. Especially with each passing mile closer to Topeka, the more nervous Dean got.

"Shit, he doesn't want to see me."

"What am I doing?"

"What was the address again?"

"Shit."

Finally, with less than an hour's worth of driving left, Dean called Gabriel several times to check on the address, even though he had scribbled it down on his hand and Gabriel texted him it and gave him directions from map quest. Dean hung up and pulled off the highway. He had skipped lunch and his stomach was growling, wanting food, but Dean felt that food would not go well with his nerves. He passed up fast food restaurants and powered through his hunger. Thirty minutes later, Dean was on the lookout for the address scribbled on his hand and in text on his phone. He wasn't used to the driving in a fairly large city. In the distance Dean smiled at the rainbow house. He honked his horn when he passed it and then glared at the other side of the road where the hateful church that protested everything Dean stood for resided.

Dean continued down the main roads until he found his way to the right street. Then he slowed down, looking at each address. He didn't find Castiel's until he was at a large apartment complex. Dean pulled in and parked his car. "I am such a stalker." He groaned, stepping out of his car. He stared up the side of the building. "Wonder which one he lives in." Dean checked the address number and took a deep breath before stepping into the building. Before he was able to enter the actual lobby, he had to be let in by the buzzer. He found the number he was looking for and reluctantly pressed it. It rang a few times before picking up. Dean gulped, expecting Castiel's deep voice to answer, but it was a woman instead.

"Hello?"

"Uh- Is this where Cas-Castiel Novak lives?" Dean asked, bracing a hand against the wall in front of the speaker. He felt like he was going to pass out form his nerves.

"Yes it is. May I ask who is buzzing?"

"Uh, this is D-Dean Winchester. Uh- I'm Cas' friend." Dean cleared his throat. He waited for a response.

"Come on up, dear!" The woman answered and the door buzzed open. He thought about it for a moment and then opened the door, heading down the hall and up three flights of stairs before finally getting to the correct apartment. He cleared his mind before knocking on the door. The door opened almost instantly. A short woman stood there, smiling at Dean.

Dean was taken back by how much she looked like Castiel. He dark hair was curling down the sides of her face and her eyes were just a blue. She was a stout woman, but in an adorable southern woman, way. "Hi there. You're a friend of Castiel's? He doesn't have many friends over these days." She waved him inside. "He's around here somewhere." Dean adored her small twang. She welcomed him inside with open arms, something he admired in his own mother.

"Uh- he didn't know I was coming." Dean admitted.

"Oh that's fine. He's been all cooped up lately. He needs a surprise every once in a while." She chirped, smiling from ear to ear. "Cassie, there's a handsome, young man here for you!" She turned towards Dean after calling out for her son. "It was Dean, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Dean replied.

"Oh call me Molly." She winked at Dean, eyeing him up and down. "You're a looker, you wouldn't happen to be that boy from North Carolina, would you?" Molly asked. She chatted on and on about the boy her son had met on a camping trip. Dean stopped breathing when he saw Castiel come out from what looked like a bedroom, rubbing his eyes and fixing his bed hair. He met eyes with Dean and they stood in silence all the while Molly kept talking with her southern twang. She then sensed the change in the air between the two boys. "Oh, excuse me. I forgot about that Chicken Parmesan I was cooking for dinner. Dean did you want to stay for din-"

"No." Castiel blurted out. He continued to stare at Dean, this time his bottom lip quivered. Dean knew he wasn't welcomed in the eyes of Castiel.

"Castiel. Manners!" Molly went over to her son and pinched his ear. Castiel cried out. "Now this young man is staying for dinner. Go solve you're problems while I set the table." She pulled Castiel by the ear over to Dean and shoved the two out the door and locked them out of the apartment. Dean and Castiel stood by the door. Castiel rubbed his ear and Dean averted his eyes.

"Uh, you're mom sure is-" Dean couldn't find a word to describe Molly. He just started laughing. He buckled over in a fit of laughter. Castiel stared at him and then smiled, a few laughs escaping his lips.

"Dean, why are you here?" Castiel finally asked. His smile faded. He leaned against the door and Dean stood straight. They looked at each other and Dean saw how Castiel had changed over the past month. Under his eyes looked like he hadn't slept a full night since he left. Castiel had let his facial hair grow out to consistent stubble.

"Well, long story." Dean sighed. "There was this whole thing with Gabriel and car crashes and-"

"My brother was in a car crash?" Castiel frantically asked, his blue eyes widening in fright.

"No! No! He said you were in one, and I rushed here." A blush rose to Dean's cheeks. He switched the weight on his feet and nudged against Castiel who was looking at him with nothing but love in his eyes.

"You _rushed_ here?" He asked, looking up at Dean. His body was shaking and his hand itched to grab for Dean's.

"Uh, yeah." Dean lowered his head, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I almost went back home when I knew you were fine, but-" Dean stopped, realizing that his body was closer to Castiel's. They were close to touching, but neither one wanted to give into something they had lived without for the most part of the summer.

"You still came?"

"Yeah." Dean touched the sides of Castiel's hands with his fingertips. "I found you, Cas." Dean said, parting his lips so his sweet breath tickled Castiel's lips. He spread his hands over Castiel's and grabbed them tight. Then the distance between their lips disappeared. It was the first kiss they shared since before Castiel left and it was a bittersweet reunion. Dean melted, but Castiel pushed away.

"Dean, I-" Castiel's eyes were wide and confused.

"Cas." Dean let Castiel's hands slip from his own. "I came all this way to get you back. Please. Look, I'm fine." Dean waved his hand in the air. It was the same one that he had broken earlier that summer. He then reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled up, revealing the little, pink scar from his stab wound. "I'm fine."

"D-dean." Castiel's voice shook as he took a step back. Dean just wanted to kiss him again and make him realize that everything was fine. "I can't just-"

"I promised to teach you how to swim." Dean said softly, gazing into Castiel's eyes and calming him. He raised a hand to Castiel's cheek and rubbed his thumb over the scruff there. "I gotta make sure you don't drown out there." Dean smirked. Castiel rested a hand over Dean's and leaned into the touch. He then abruptly, took his hand away, but replaced the motion by wrapping his arms around Dean's waist and nuzzling his face into Dean's neck. He mumbled something that Dean couldn't make out. Dean just placed his arms around Castiel and squeezed him tightly, not letting go for a long time. They stood like that in front of the apartment door until the door opened and Molly stood there, admiring her son and his handsome companion.

"Dinner's ready, boys." She smiled. They pulled away from each other, faces red from embarrassment. Dean grasped Castiel's hand and they walked inside together. He sniffed the air and was drooling at the smell of fresh Chicken Parmesan and what smelled like garlic bread. He then realized that he hadn't eaten all day. Molly had sat down a plate and silverware for Dean and pulled out a chair for Dean. "It's rare that we have three people here eating. I'm glad I get to cook for more than the two of us. Cassie hasn't been eating much lately." She dished out hefty servings of noodles and chicken onto the boy's plates and little for herself. She set the bowl of garlic bread in the middle of the table and held her hands out for the boys to grab.

Dean looked from Castiel to Molly and then realized what was happening. "Oh." He grabbed both of their hands and they formed a circle. Dean lowered his head. Molly continued with grace and when it was done, she thanked Dean for joining them and it was food time. Dean dug in right away. He was so hungry. He even asked for seconds. After dinner, Molly retreated to her room to give the boys some more private time. Castiel brought Dean to his room and they sat down on the bed.

Dean looked around the room and noticed that a lot of things were in boxes. Dread filled him. "You're going off to college aren't you?" Dean opened up a box and saw his old shirt folded neatly on top of a bunch of pictures and books. The box was labeled "important things." Dean smiled, although the thought was sad. He picked the shirt up and rubbed the fabric between his fingers. He laughed. "I remember when we hastily grabbed clothes and switched shirts."

Castiel saw what Dean was holding and lowered his head in embarrassment. "I was going to give it back to you. I washed it and everything." Castiel took the shirt from Dean and folded it back up, setting it on the bed. "I was just- putting it there so I wouldn't lose it."

"Right." Dean smiled, leaning in and kissing Castiel again. "You can keep it." He smiled against Castiel's lips, while pulling at the shirt he was wearing. "You can have this one too." He said, pulling the shirt off over his head and throwing it to the ground. He pushed Castiel down to the bed and crawled overtop of him. Castiel squirmed and pushed against Dean's chest.

"Dean, my mom's room is next door. She'll hear." Castiel whispered. His voice got caught in his throat when Dean attacked his neck with kisses. "Dean." Dean nicked Castiel's bare skin with his teeth, forcing a moan out of Castiel's lips.

"I guess we will just have to be quiet." Dean kissed Castiel's jaw line and hushed his lover with a finger pressed against his lips. Castiel's eyelids heavily hooded his blue eyes as he breathed slowly, trying to calm himself down. It wasn't working well. He arched his back so that Dean could grab his shirt and discard it across the room. Castiel's honey colored skin drove Dean crazy. He trailed kisses down Castiel's chest and abdomen. His lips made there way to the waist of Castiel's shorts. Dean rubbed his hands up Castiel's calves and then started to undo the zipper and button of the front. Castiel wiggled out of his shorts, leaving his briefs behind, tight already on his growing bulge.

"Dean- the door. Lock it." Castiel breathed out, while palming his growth, wiggling on the bed. Dean kissed Castiel once more before climbing off the bed and quick stepping over to the door to turn the lock. He pulled at his own shorts, kicking them off when the fabric pooled at his feet. He reached inside of his brightly colored briefs and grabbed a hold of himself, working his flesh and letting his under garment slide down his legs for him to kick off like his shorts. He climbed back onto the bed, over top of Castiel and pressed against him. He rocked his hips into Castiel, causing the darker haired boy to moan out. He quickly covered his mouth, but Dean continued to rock his hips. "D-Dean-" Castiel whispered, pulling at his too tight underwear.

Dean slid his hand down the front of Castiel's briefs. He grabbed hold of Castiel's cock and pulled at the flesh. Castiel bucked his hips forward, pushing into Dean. Dean jerked Castiel in his hand until he was slick with pre-come. Dean pulled his hand out of Castiel's briefs and licked his fingers. Castiel bit his lip and wiggled out of his bottoms. He kicked them off and they flew onto a box in the corner of the room. Dean chuckled. He then lifted Castiel's bottom so that his knees locked right over his shoulders. Dean took Castiel into his mouth, slick and wet. His teeth grazed Castiel's cock and he received a hiss from his lover. Dean then paced himself, making sure he was getting Castiel hard and about to explode. Dean licked the slit of Castiel's cock; working the head a little more before he licked down to the base and then licked over Castiel's balls. He lifted Castiel higher, trying for something new this time around. Instead of the slicked up fingers Dean always used to prep Castiel, Dean licked along Castiel's bottom, spreading him wide and going deep inside with his tongue.

Castiel cried out from the pleasure. He tried to stifle his erotic moans, but he knew that it was hopeless and his mother probably wouldn't look at him the same after that night.

Dean commenced with his actions while Castiel grabbed chunks of Dean's light brown hair. His hips pushed and gave out with each time Dean's tongue entered him. He felt his pulse in his entire body as his heart pumped extra hard to accommodate everything that was going on. "Dean, please." Castiel's whole body was shaking and Dean pushed a finger inside, stretching Castiel a little more before he dropped Castiel's hips to the bed. "Hnnng." Castiel grabbed his cock and pumped while Dean whipped his head around the room, looking for something. "Dean- it's in- the lube- that box over there." Castiel pointed, with effort over to the same box titled "important things." Dean hopped off the bed, cock bouncing, and laughed as he rummaged through the box.

"Really, Cas? Important things?" Dean found the bottle and poured a generous amount on his hand, rubbing the liquid over his fingers.

"I have needs." Castiel breathed out. He licked his dry lips as Dean climbed back onto the bed. The mattress creaked underneath their weight. Dean squirted more lube out of the bottle and applied the amount to Castiel's stretched hole. Castiel moaned as the cool liquid started to heat up. He rolled his hips, waiting for Dean, but Dean sat back and watched Castiel squirm. "Dean. What are you doing?" Castiel asked, almost pleadingly.

"Watching." Dean smirked. He winked at his exposed lover. "I've missed your body. I'm admiring the view." Dean worked his cock in his wet lube covered hand. He could feel his muscles contracting as he came closer and closer to the edge. He kept it back as hard as he could. He wanted to be in sync in Castiel, and inside of him when it happened.

"Dean."

"Cas?" Dean answered mockingly.

Castiel's eyebrows furrowed. He glared at Dean, and hissed out, "Dean, get your dick in me before I change my mind." Castiel sat up, whimpering, but asserting himself towards Dean. Dean's grin was massive as he lunged towards Castiel, attacking him with kisses again, and pushing hard against Castiel's body. After a few moments of struggle to get the other to give in, Castiel pushed Dean onto his back hard. "I guess I will do all the work." Castiel raised himself over Dean's erect cock and then descended quickly, ramming himself hard onto Dean, filling himself up with pleasure.

Dean moaned. He grabbed Castiel's toned thighs and pulled at flesh, leaving red marks. He kept grabbing, trying to get a hold of anything to keep Castiel there with him forever. His hands traveled to Castiel's back. He clawed his nails down Castiel's skin, again leaving marks. "You're mine." He whispered soothingly towards Castiel. He sat up, still propping Castiel on his cock. They moved together, giving and taking. Dean held onto Castiel for dear life. He thrust inside Castiel and Castiel pushed down onto Dean in return. Their moans and yells were stifled, but still loud enough to most likely wake the surrounding apartments.

"Dean- Dean I'm sorry I left." Castiel cried out, ramming down onto Dean over and over. Their pace quickened, as each of them got closer to the climax of their actions. "Dean, I am so sorry." He wrapped his arms around Dean and held on, one more thrust and Dean shuddered. Dean released his load into Castiel while breathing hard against his lover's body.

"I-I forgive you." Dean softly said, kissing Castiel's forehead. He soon felt a warm wetness spread across his abdomen and chest. He looked down and Castiel had ejaculated all over him. Castiel frowned, wanting to say sorry, but Dean hushed him with another kiss. "Shhh, it's okay, Cas." Dean whispered, pulling out and laying down with Castiel on the bed. Dean sat up and grabbed the blanket that had bunched up at the end of the bed. He lied back down and covered the both of them.

"I love you, Dean." Castiel whispered, his eyelids falling heavily over his eyes. He blinked, trying to stay awake.

Dean smiled. "I love you too, Cas."

"Ten times more?" Castiel asked, hoping Dean would say the words he used to before their relationship hit the rocks.

Dean yawned and then grinned like a little kid. "Nah," He said. Castiel squinted at Dean, confused. Dean went on. "A hundred times more."

Castiel smiled, moving in closer to Dean. He laid his head on Dean's chest and shared his lover's warmth. Dean slung an arm over Castiel and held him close. They closed their eyes, content with life and all of its possibilities and fell asleep.

Over the next week, Dean stayed in Kansas at Castiel's home. He was fully accepted into the family by Molly, even though Dean and Castiel were pretty sure they were heard that night. Dean enjoyed the week with Castiel, but things were coming to an end. As the week progressed, Dean noticed Castiel packing and unpacking things. Finally, Dean needed to know. "Cas, when are you leaving for school?"

Castiel set his box of things down and sighed. "Dean- I don't want to have this conversation, please." He frowned, sitting next to Dean on the bed. Dean had to borrow some of Castiel clothing when he ran out a couple days into his unexpected trip to Kansas. Castiel leaned lazily against Dean's side. He stayed silent.

"It's soon isn't it?" Dean wasn't sure if he wanted the answer. He could feel Castiel nodding against his shoulder. "How soon?"

"Next Friday. I have to fly out."

"Fly?" Dean pulled away from Castiel. "Where are you going?" He asked, shaking his head in disbelief that Castiel was going so far away that he had to fly there. Dean felt like he was losing Castiel all over again. Castiel mumbled incoherently. He looked around the room at all the boxes. It was going to be hell to ship everything out depending on how far Castiel was going.

"San Francisco." Castiel said quietly. Dean frowned. Across the country. Castiel was leaving for California all the while Dean was stuck on the East coast. "Dean, I meant to tell you, but this week has been perfect. I did not want to ruin it." Castiel let his head drop below his shoulders. He waited for Dean's response.

"I-I'll save up money. Visit you. You know-" Dean bit his lip. A trip to California was not going to be cheap. "Cas, I don't want to lose you." Dean cleared his throat. "Again." They stayed silent, staring at the floor of Castiel's bedroom. After a few minutes of contemplation, Dean looked up at Castiel, a sad smile on his freckled face. "I'll visit you for sur-"

"Come with me." Castiel blurted out. Dean shook his head, leaned back and looked at Castiel like he was crazy. Castiel's face showed that he was dead serious.

Dean's heart was racing. "Cas- I can't just-" Castiel leaned in and kissed Dean on the lips, giving it his all. Dean closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of love rise inside of him. He opened his eyes to see Castiel staring back at him.

"Will you come with me?"

**THE END**

Hey Guys! Thank you so much for reading Summer Heat's Gonna Drive You Crazy. It has been a blast writing this fic and I love all the comments and kudos you all give me. If you liked this story then wait for the next installment of the series, There's Just Something About Cas.

Look for the Sequel!

University Life's Gonna Be Insane

And a special thanks to my roomie, Ariel for being my beta.


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